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THE  LIFE 


OP 


EGBERT  FULTON, 


ONE  OF  THE    MOST   DISTINGUISHED  INVENTORS    THE  WORLD  HAS    EVER  PRODUCED.      WITH  INTE- 
RESTING   INCIDENTS    INDICATING    THE    CHARACTER    OF   THE    MAN   IN   HIS  YOUTHFUL    DATS. 
THE  DAWNINGS  OF  GENIUS  THEN  DISPLAYED ;   UNTIL  HE  EMBARKED  IN  THE  VOYAGE  OP 
LIFE,  AND,  BY  UNTIRING  INDUSTRY  RAISED  HIMSELF  ABOVE  THE  BUFFETING  STORMS, 
ERECTED    HIS     OWN    ILLUSTRIOUS    NAME,    AND    SECURED    THE    HIGHEST    DIS- 
TINCTION   THAT    MORTAL    MAN    CAN    ATTAIN  — THE  ADMIRATION,  HONOR, 
AND  GRATITUDE    OF  NATIONS    AND    POSTERITY.       THIS  VOLUME    CON- 
TAINS A  SIMPLE  RECORD  OF  FACTS,  ACCOMPANIED  WITH 


COPIES  OF  MR.  FULTON'S  ORIGINAL  DRAWINGS 


EXHIBITING  THE  LEADING  INCIDENTS  AND  ORNAMENTS  OF  HIS  PRIVATE  CHARACTER; 
ELEVATED  PRINCIPLES  OF  ACTION;   HIS  UNCOMMON  USEFULNESS  AND 
CELEBRITY,  AND  HIS  UNDYING  FAME. 


BY 


J.   FRANKLIN   HEIGART, 

AUTHOR  OF  "UNITED  STATES  AUTOGRAPHY,"  "THE  INVENTORS  AND 
PATENTEES'  GUIDE,"  &c.  &c.  to. 


PHILADELPHIA: 
C.   G.    HENDERSON    &  CO., 

ARCH  AND  FIFTH  STREETS. 
1856. 


Entered,  according  to  Act  of  Congress,  in  the  year  1856,  by 

J.  FRANKLIN   REIGART, 

Lancaster  City,  Pennsylvania,  in  the  Clerk's  Office  of  the  District  Court  of  the  United 
States  in  and  for  the  Eastern  District  of  Pennsylvania. 

STEREOTYPED  BT  J.  PAGAN.  PRINTED  BT  DEACON  &  PETERSON. 


vnr+o 


THE  SUBLIME  MOTTO 

OF 


"THE    LIBERTY  OP   THE    SEAS   WILL   BE    THE   HAPPINESS   OF  THE    EARTH.' 


(iii) 


M363669 


CONTENTS. 


INTRODUCTION. 

Page 

Reply  to  the  British  Cyclopaedia  of  Arts 14 

A  remarkable  witness,  the  Dean  of  Ripon,  England 18 

Extract  from  the  Address  of  C.  D.  Holden,  Esq.,  delivered  before 

the  Philosophical  Society  of  New  York 22 

Extract  from  a  Discourse  delivered  before  the  American  Academy  of 

the  Arts  by  his  Excellency  De  Witt  Clinton,  Governor  of  New 

York 23 

Extract  from  a  Discourse  delivered  before  the  New  York  Historical 

Society  by  the  Hon.  Gouverneur  Morris 24 

MONUMENTS  to  the  memory  of  Robert  Fulton 27 


CHAPTER  I. 

Robert  Fulton's  birthplace  and  parentage 29 

His  conduct  at  school 31 

Making  sky-rockets 33 

Making  ornaments  for  guns ; 34 

Nicknamed  "quicksilver  Bob" 35 

Manufacturing  air-guns 35 

Fishing-boat  with  paddle-wheels 37 

Pencil  sketch  of  Whigs  and  Rebels 37 

CHAPTER  II. 

THE    HOMESTEAD. 

Robert  Fulton's  genius  and  talent  as  an  artist,  and  his  noble  conduct 

on  his  birthday 39 

Persuaded  to  make  a  voyage  to  England,  for  the  benefit  of  his  health  40 

The  GOLDEN  DEED  of  the  widow's  son 41 

His  filial  piety,  that  never  can  be  too  much  commended 44 

1*  (T) 


VI  CONTENTS. 

CHAPTER  III. 

FINE    ARTS,    AND    MECHANIC    ARTS  —  A    SHORT    HISTORY 
OP    BENJAMIN    WEST,     AND    THE    INVENTIONS    OP    MR. 

FULTON. 

Page 
Mr.  Fulton's  reception  by  Benjamin  West,  and  his   success  as   % 

painter 40 

His  acquaintance  with  men  celebrated  for  the  love  of  science 47 

Becomes  a  civic  engineer  and  mechanist 47 

His  address  to  the  citizens  of  Philadelphia,  urging  them  to  establish 
an  Institute  for  the  Fine  Arts,  and  purchase  the  paintings  of 

Benjamin  West 48 

At  the  sale  of  the  pictures  of  the  Royal  Academy,  in  1805,  he  pur- 
chases West's  Ophelia  and  King  Lear 48 

A  short  history  of  Benjamin  West 49 

Mr.  Fulton's  devoted  attachment  to  the  Hon.  Joel  Barlow,  American 

Minister 50 

The  first  panorama  that  was  exhibited  in  Paris  was  painted  by  Mr. 

Fulton 66 

His  numerous  and  extraordinary  inventions 57 

The  Hon.  John  Quincy  Adams  and  Andrew  Jackson  certify  to  Con- 
gress the  invaluable  services  rendered  to  the  country  by  Mr. 

Fulton  at  the  great  battle  of  New  Orleans 63 

He  exposes  the  imposition  in  Redheffer's  Perpetual  Motion 65 

CHAPTER  IV. 

EXTRACTS  FROM  THE  "COLUMBIAD,"  WITH  THE  ELE- 
GANT PLATES  DESIGNED  BY  MR.  FULTON. 

The  friendship  of  the  Hon.  Joel  Barlow '. 69 

The  vision  of  Columbus 70 

The  savage  armies  march  down  the  mountains  of  Peru.     The  Peru- 
vians engage  the  savages.     Exploits  of  Capac,  and  death  of 

Zamor,  the  savage  chief. 72 

Vision  confined  to. North  America.     Congress  endeavours  to  arrest 

the  violence  of  England 73 

-British  cruelty  to  American  prisoners 75 

The  murder  of  Lucinda  (Miss  Macrea)  by  the  Indians 79 

Capture  of  Cornwallis  and  his  army.    Their  banners  furled  and  mus- 
kets piled  on  the  field  of  battle.     The  triumph  of  Washington 

and  the  brave  Lincoln 79 

The  Rape  of  the  Golden  Fleece 81 

Initiation  to  the  mysteries  of  Isis.    Progress  of  the  Arts  and  Sciences  82 

The  final  resignation  of  prejudices:  a  grand  conception 83 


CONTENTS.  Vll 


CHAPTER  V. 

INLAND  NAVIGATION,  CIVIL  ENGINEERING,  AND  STATES- 
MANSHIP   OP    FULTON. 

Page 

In  1796,  Mr.  Fulton  published  in  London  his  admirable  "Treatise 

on  Canal  Navigation" 86 

His  models,  machines,  and  drawings,  were  approved  by  the  British 

Board  of  Agriculture 88 

Receives  a  flattering  acknowledgment  from  General  Washington 89 

He  wrote  a  work  addressed  to  the  "friends  of  mankind,"  for  the 

promotion  of  knowledge  and  industry 90 

Another  volume — "  Thoughts  on  Free  Trade" 91 

January,  1807,  he  was  invited  by  General  Dearborn,  then  Secretary 
of  the  War  Department,  to  make  the  necessary  surveys  and 
drafts  for  a  canal  from  Lake  Pontchartrain  to  the  Missis- 
sippi   92 

His  cast-iron  aqueducts 93 

Inclined-Planes , 98 

Mr.  Fulton  appointed  by  the  Legislature  of  New  York  one  of  the 
commissioners  to  explore  the  route  of  an  inland  navigation 

from  Hudson  river  to  Lakes  Ontario  and  Erie 102 

He  communicates  in  writing  with  the  ablest  men  then  living,  on  the 

subjects  of  "education,  and  the  arts  and  sciences" 105 


CHAPTER  VI. 

TORPEDOES. 

Mr.  Fulton's  proceedings  in  France  excited  the  alarm  of  the  British 
Cabinet.  In  1804,  he  was  written  to  proceed  to  London.  The 
British  Ministry  appointed  a  commission  to  examine  his  pro- 
jects. In  the  night,  torpedoes  were  thrown,  by  boats  from  a 
British  squadron,  across  the  bows  of  two  of  the  French  gun- 
brigs.  The  Frenchmen  exclaimed,  with  horror,  "that  the 
infernal  machines  were  coming" 109 


Viii  CONTENTS. 

Page 

He  blew  up  a  strong-built  Danish  brig  in  Walmar  roads 112 

October,  1806,  he  embarked  for  New  York,  and  exhibited  his  torpe- 
does on  Governor's  Island 113 

July,  1807,  he  blew  up  with  a  torpedo,  in  the  harbor  of  New 
York,  a  large  hulk  brig,  which  had  been  provided  for  this 
purpose 116 

Soon  after  this,  he  published  his  work  entitled  "  Torpedo  War ;  or, 
Submarine  Explosions,"  and  prefaced  it  with  his  favourite 
sentiment — "  The  freedom  of  the  seas  will  be  the  happiness  of  the 
earth"  He  addressed  it  to  the  President  of  the  United  States, 
and  to  the  members  of  both  Houses  of  Congress 118 

The  sloop-of-war  Argus,  then  commanded  by  the  gallant  Captain 
Lawrence,  by  the  directions  of  the  U.  S.  Government,  was 
made  ready  at  the  New  York  Navy- Yard,  under  the  orders  of 
Commodore  Rodgers,  to  be  experimented  on  by  Mr.  Fulton's 
mode  of  torpedo  warfare 125 

Mr.  Fulton  succeeded  in  cutting  off  a  fourteen-inch  cable,  which  was 
attached  to  a  vessel  that  had  been  anchored  in  the  stream  for 
the  purpose 128 

In  1813,  were  granted  letters  patent  for  improvements  in  the  art  of 
maritime  warfare,  to  destroy  ships  and  vessels-of-war  by  sub- 
marine cannons ,.  136 


CHAPTER  VII. 

SUBMARINE    NAVIGATION,     AND    P  L  U  N  G  I  N  G  -  B  0  A  T. 

In  1801,  Mr.  Fulton  proposed  to  Bonaparte,  "to  deliver  France  and 

the  whole  world  from  British  oppression"  by  submarine  boats..  139 

His  extraordinary  and  successful  experiment  with  his  plunging-boat 

"Nautilus,"  in  the  harbor  of  Brest 140 

He  blows  a  vessel  to  fragments,  by  a  bomb  from  the  "Nautilus." 

The  fragments  were  thrown  from  80  to  100  feet  in  the  air 143 

He  rejects  the  overture  from  the  British  Government  to  suppress  his 
inventions,  and  sacrifices  all  to  the  safety,  independence,  and 
interest  of  America M ,  , 146 


CONTENTS.  IX 


CHAPTER  VIII. 

HISTORYOF    ORIGINAL    INVENTORS. 

Page 

Fulton's  gigantic  mind 148 

Dr.  Papin,  Savery,  Marquis  of  Worcester,  Dr.  John  Allen,  Oliver 

Evans,  and  Benjamin  Franklin's  inventions 150 

Jonathan  Hull,  James  Rumsey,  and  the  Marquis  de  Jeffrey's  inventions  151 
The  invention  and  remarkable  wish  of  that  ardent  projector.  JOHN 
FITCH,  will  never  be  forgotten  so  long  as  the  song  of  the 
boatman  and  the  music  of  the  steam-engine  enliven  the  shores 

of  the  Ohio 152 

Patrick  Miller  and  William  Symington's  inventions 153 


CHAPTER  IX. 

STEAM  NAVIGATION,  AND  F  U-L  T  0  N  '  S  SUCCESS. 

Mr.  Fulton  gave  to  Watt  and  Bolton,  of  England,  instructions  for 
constructing  the  first  engine  which  was  successfully  used  in  a 
boat 157 

He  investigated  on  principle  the  difficulties  of  the  subject,  and 

triumphed 158 

Scientific  gentlemen  reported  their  doubts  of  the  utility  and  practi- 
cability of  his  invention .; 160 

Robert  Livingston,  Esq.,  of  New  York,  and  Mr.  Fulton,  formed  a 

friendship  and  connection  with  each  other 164 

The  "  Clermont,"  the  first  steam  packet  that  ever  moved  upon  the 

waters 169 

Robert  Fulton  and  H.  Freeland's  letters 173 

Hostility  to  Mr.  Fulton's  boat 177 

Mr.  Fulton  exhibits  to  a  committee  his  model  and  plans  of  a  vessel- 

of-war;  which  are  approved  of  by  the  U.  S.  naval  officers....  181 

The  English  were  informed  as  to  the  preparations  for  building  this 

steam  frigate,  and  became  alarmed 188 

The  submarine  boat— the  "Mute"...  ,.  189 


X  CONTENTS. 

CHAPTER  X. 

Page 
Livingston  and  Fulton's  difficulties  in  maintaining  the  protection  of 

their  exclusive  grants,  and  the  able  speech  of  their  counsel, 

Mr.  Emmet,  at  the  bar  of  the  House 192 

Mr.  Fulton's  illness  and  death,  and  the  great  respect  paid  to  his 

memory 197 

His  family 200 

His  grave,  in  Trinity  churchyard,  New  York 201 

CHAPTER  XI. 
The  last  will  and  testament  of  Robert  Fulton 206 

CHAPTER  XII 

The  American  steamship  "Savannah,"  the  first  ocean  steamer 212 

The  "Atlantic"  steamship,  in  1854 221 

CHAPTER  XIII. 

EXTRACTS  FROM  THE  PUBLIC  RECORDS. 

Report  of  the  Secretary  of  the  Navy 224 

Report  of  the  Secretary  of  War  (Governor  Cass)  to  Congress :  ap- 
proved by  the  message  of  General  Jackson 241 

Fulton's  letter  to  Governor  Mifflin 261 

His  letter  to  Hon.  Albert  Gallatin,  Secretary  of  the  Treasury 272 

His  letter  to  Gouverneur  Morris,  President  of  the  Board  of  Commis- 
sioners of  the  Western  Canal,  New  York 289 


list  0f  lUnstratintts. 


Page 

1.  J.  F.  Reigart's  Portrait 

2.  Steamships 

3.  Fulton's  likeness,  or  frontispiece 

4.  The  Fulton  Farm 29 

5.  Robert  Fulton's  first   experiment  with  paddle-wheels,  in  the 

summer  of  1779,  on  the  Conestoga 36 

6.  The  Homestead 39 

7.  The  Golden  Deed 41 

8.  The  Vision — "  Hesper  appearing  to  Columbus  in  prison" 70 

9.  CjBsar  passing  the  Rubicon 73 

10.  Cruelty  presiding  over  the  prison-ship 75 

11.  Murder  of  Miss  Macrea  by  the  Indians 77 

12.  Cornwallis  resigning  his  sword  to  Washington 79 

13.  Initiation  to  the  mysteries  of  Isis 82 

14.  The  final  resignation  of  prejudices.     The  old  idols,  and  the 

agents  of  the  woes  of  man,  lie  trampled  in  the  dust,  at  the 

footstool  of  the  GENIUS  of  America  83 

15.  Cast-iron  aqueducts ! 93 

16.  Double  Inclined-Planes,  for  which  the  British  Government  granted 

letters  patent,  May,  1794 98 

17.  Brig  blown  up:  her  annihilation  complete 113 

18.  Torpedoes,  harpoon,  etc 120 

19.  The  submarine  vessels  — the  "Nautilus"  and  "Mute" 140 

(xi) 


Xii  LIST    OP    ILLUSTRATIONS. 

Page 

20.  John  Fitch's  steamboat  on  the  Delaware  river,  opposite  Phila- 

delphia   152 

21.  Jonathan  Hull  and  Patrick  Miller's  steamboats 154 

22.  The  "Clermont,"  the  first  steam  packet  that  ever  moved  upon 

the  waters 171 

23.  The  vessel-of-war  called  "Fulton  the  First,"  or  "Demologos"...  186^, 

24.  Fulton's  grave,  in  Trinity  churchyard,  New  York  city 201 

25.  The  "Savannah" 212 

26.  The  "Atlantic" 221 


INTRODUCTION. 


As  a  citizen  of  Lancaster,  intimately  familiar 
with  its  history  and  with  its  oldest  inhabitants,  we 
know  that  they  are  best  acquainted  with  the  true 
history  of  ROBERT  FULTON;  whilst  "the  garden  of 
Pennsylvania"  the  brightest  spot  on  earth,  still 
retains  his  Birthplace  as  a  brilliant  memorial  of 
her  most  meritorious  son.  We  have  endeavoured 
to  exhibit  an  impartial  history  of  his  life ;  and  to 
accomplish  this  has  been  the  labour  of  several  years. 
In  collecting  the  facts,  many  of  our  oldest  citizens 
were  consulted;  and  from  them  the  most  correct 
accounts  and  incidents  of  his  youthful  history  were 
obtained.  From  his  cradle  to  his  grave,  there  can- 
not be  discovered  one  single  spot  or  blemish  that 
casts  a  shadow  on  his  honorable  career.  To  pursue 
the  chain  of  his  life,  and  develop  every  link,  was  a 
task  requiring  much  research ;  and  we  thankfully 
acknowledge  our  indebtedness  for  aid  in  our  effort 
to  many  individuals  who  cheerfully  furnished  us 
2  (nii) 


XIV  INTRODUCTION. 

with  the  essential  data :  especially  are  we  grateful 
for  copies  of  extracts  from  the  minutes  and  records 
of  several  Historical  Societies  and  public  offices  of 
New  York  city,  to  the  "  Scientific  American"  and 
"  People's  Journal,"  and  to  our  obliging  friend  Dr- 

j 

Theodore  F.  Engelbrecht.  The  kindness  of  the 
Hon.  Actuary,  Mr.  Hamilton,  and  the  officers  of 
the  Franklin  Institute  Library  of  Philadelphia,  is 
also  properly  appreciated,  as  well  as  the  important 
service  rendered  by  Messrs.  Cyrus  Underwood  and 
Daniel  K.  Albright,  of  Washington  county,  Penna., 
in  furnishing  the  drawing  of  Fulton's  homestead 
and  the  copies  of  records. 

The  British  "Cyclopaedia  of  Arts,"  lately  pub- 
lished, has  endeavoured  to  place  Mr.  Fulton's  unpa- 
ralleled inventive  genius  on  the  same  level  with 
their  canal-boat  builders.  It  alleges  that  Mr.  Ful- 
ton saw  Mr.  Symington's  canal-boat,  and  that  it 
was  Mr.  Symington's  invention  that  deserved  all 
the  credit  of  steam  navigation.  If  so,  why  did 
not  Mr.  Symington  start  his  canal-boat  on  the  river 
Clyde,  or  across  the  ocean?  Mr.  Symington  was 

mechanic  enough  to  know  that  his  double  boat, 

• 

with  a  solitary  wheel  in  the  stern,  might  glide 
along  the  smooth  current  of  a  canal,  but  could  not 
resist  the  ocean  waves.  His  knowledge  of  steam 
navigation  was  very  limited,  and  did  not  become 


INTRODUCTION.  XV 

of  any  practical  use,  even  to  canals.  He  deserves, 
however,  credit  for  his  invention,  so  far  as  he  was 
capable  of  maturing  it,  but  not  one  tittle  more. 
We  are  not  a  little  surprised  that  an  historian,  an 
author  of  a  standard  impartial  work,  as  the  British 
Cyclopaedia  of  Arts  ought  to  be,  should  give  Mr. 
Symington  all  the  credit  of  steam  navigation  be- 
cause his  canal-boat  was  seen  floating  one  day  on  a 
smooth  current,  and  heard  of  no  more,  excepting 
that  it  was  left  to  decay  and  rot  on  the  canal ;  and 
we  feel  free  to  say  that  such  an  one  not  only  does 
not  understand  the  nature  of  an  invention,  but  dis- 
plays gross  partiality,  an  illiberal  spirit,  and  total 
ignorance  of  what  is  due  the  worthiest  of  inventors. 
We,  moreover,  boldly  declare  that  no  man  ever 
lived  before  or  since  Robert  Fulton  who  did  so 
fully  and  perfectly  understand  steam  navigation, 
submarine  navigation,  and  inland  navigation ;  and 
whose  experiments  and  successful  improvements 
created  the  same  interest  and  astonishment  through- 
out the  world.  Nor  will  we  admit  that  his  genius 
has  ever  been  equalled,  until  reliable  records  dis- 
prove his  claims  to  being  the  man  who  built  a 
floating  castle,  in  the  shape  of  an  immense  steam 
vessel  of  war,  to  divide  asunder  the  rolling  billows 
of  the  stormy  ocean,  and  alarm  the  navies  of  the 
world ;  and  who  erected  a  terrible  engine  of  war 


XVI  INTRODUCTION. 

like  the  Nautilus,  that,  with  its  sails,  could  be 
guided  above  the  waves  when  and  where  its  inven- 
tor and  commander  willed  —  then  in  a  moment 
lower  and  hide  its  masts  and  sails,  and,  like  a  sea- 
bird,  plunge  into  the  watery  element,  and  glide 
unseen  at  the  bottom  of  the  waters,  avoid  the 
pursuit  of  an  enemy,  and  rise  again  several  miles 
from  the  place  where  it  descended ;  and  who  pro- 
jected Double  Inclined-Planes  for  canals,  to  connect 
the  great  lakes  of  America,  to  spread  the  Commerce 
of  the  world;  and  whose  days  and  nights  were 
devoted  to  improvements  in  the  arts  and  sciences ; 
and  whose  every  act  was,  first,  "his  country  and 
Ills  country's  good;"  and  who,  as  a  universal  bene- 
factor, on  each  and  every  occasion  that  presented 
itself,  proclaimed  that  most  sublime  motto :  "  The 
liberty  of  the  seas  will  ~be  tlie  happiness 'of  the  earth;" 
and  whose  mind  and  inventions  attracted  and  en- 
gaged the  attention  of  the  greatest  powers  of  Eu- 
rope, whilst  his  life  was  the  wonder  and  amazement 
of  his  countrymen;  and  his  death  was  marked 
with  the  highest  honours  that  ever  were  manifested 
to  any  civilian  in  this  or  any  other  country  —  not 
till  then,  we  say,  can  we  admit  that  Fulton's  genius 
was  ever  equalled;  and,  we  are  persuaded,  not 
until  Lancaster  county,  "the  garden  of  Pennsyl- 
vania," becomes 


INTRODUCTION.  XVU 

"A  barren  waste, 
Without  one  spot  of  green,  of  feeling,  or  of  taste," 

shall  the  name  of  this  great  man  be  used  with 
disparagement  or  reproach  by  any  historian  in  this 
or  any  other  country. 

The  British  "Cyclopaedia  of  Arts"  says  "this 
Fulton"  paid  a  visit  to  Scotland,  and  saw  Mr. 
Symington's  canal-boat,  and  got  all  his  information 
from  Mr.  Symington.  We  would  not  have  noticed 
Mr.  Symington's  failure  in  steam  navigation,  or 
Mr.  "Watt's  credit  as  an  engine-builder,  but  for  the 
injustice  done  to  Mr.  Fulton  by  "this  unjust  British 
Cyclopaedia  of  Arts."  In  1765,  Mr.  James  Watt, 
of  England,  improved  the  steam-engine,  (first  in- 
vented by  the  Marquis  of  Worcester,  in  1663,)  and 
was  the  great  and  successful  inventor  of  stationary 
steam-engines.  It  is  a  well-known  fact,  however, 
that  Mr.  Fulton  called  on  him  and  ordered  an 
engine  to  be  built,  of  a  size,  make,  and  power 
which  he  described,  gave  Mr.  Watt  the  proper 
dimensions  and  proportions,  the  mode  of  connexion 
between  the  pistons  and  cranks,  the  exact  form 
and  construction,  as  Mr.  Fulton's  own  mechanical 
knowledge  and  calculations  dictated  and  directed, 
according  to  his  (Fulton's)  own  improved  plan,  spe- 
cifications and  sectional  drawings,  suitable  only  for 
steam  navigation,  and  which  have  been  universally 


Xviii  INTRODUCTION. 

adopted  in  every  successful  steamboat  since  the 
"CLERMONT"  sailed;  and,  but  for  this  fact,  we 
should,  at  this  late  day,  be  no  farther  advanced  in 
steani  navigation  than  we  were  when  Symington 
left  off  on  the  canal.  Dr.  Bees'  Cyclopaedia  and_ 
Dr.  Brewster's  Cyclopaedia  both  show  that,  until 
Fulton's  movement,  steam  navigation  had  no  real 
existence;  and  they  are  too  sound  authorities  to  be 
doubted,  especially  when  it  is  recollected  that  they 
published  the  facts  so  soon  after  Mr.  Fulton's  suc- 
cessful experiments  were  universally  acknowledged 
by  every  honourable  contemporaneous  writer  and 
publisher. 

There  are  still  living  numerous  witnesses  who 
bear  testimony  of  the  original  invention  of  Bobert 
Fulton,  Esq.;  and  one,  as  late  as  October,  1855,  in 
Mr.  Symington's  own  neighbourhood,  has  honour- 
ably shown  himself  to  be 

"A  BEMARKABLE  WITNESS.  —  Those  who  have 
only  casually  observed  and  reflected  on  the  mighty 
revolution  accomplished  by  steam  in  nearly  all  de- 
partments of  human  industry  and  enterprise,  and 
especially  in  the  navigation  of  the  world's  waters, 
and  the  operations  of  travel  and  commerce,  can 
have  scarcely  an  adequate  conception  of  the  gigan- 
tic triumph  of  this  subtle  element,  in  less  than 
half  a  century.  But  there  was  a  man  among  the 
festival  party  gathered  in  honour  of  the  splendid 
new  Cunard  steamer  Persia,  (390  feet  in  length, 


INTRODUCTION.  XIX 

and  of  3,600  tons  burden),  at  Glasgow,  who  could 
feel  all  the  greatness  of  this  triumph.  That  man 
was  the  Dean  of  Kipon,  England,  who,  being 
toasted,  stated  that  forty-eight  years  ago  he  accom- 
panied Robert  Fulton  on  his  first  steamer  trial  trip 
on  the  Hudson  river — that  being  the.  first  successful 
trial  ever  made.  He  thanked  God  that  he  had 
been  spared  to  witness  this  perfected  steamer,  the 
Persia,  the  most  magnificent  vessel  afloat;  and 
that,  coupled  with  the  long  succession  of  triumphs 
of  steam,  which  he  had  carefully  observed,  whether 
on  the  sea  or  on  the  land,  the  triumphs  of  peace, 
intelligence,  and  a  broader  brotherhood,  had  gone 
hand  in  hand.  He  trusted  and  prayed  that  this 
would  continue  to  be  the  history  of  steam — the 
most  potent  of  all  the  agencies  of  enterprise  and 
civilization." — N.  Y.  Mirror. 

In  preparing  this  work  for  publication,  it  seems 
proper  to  state,  what  the  reader  perhaps  will  readily 
conceive,  the  difficulties  that  we  had  to  encounter. 
As  an  ardent  admirer  of  the  genius  of  Fulton,  we 
imagined  that  a  history  of  his  life  would  be  con- 
sidered interesting  and  instructive.  We  commenced 
the  task,  and  soon  found  that  it  was  possible  to 
write  and  compile  a  volume  of  this  character.  But 
to  succeed  in  the  enterprise  of  writing  a  history  of 
all  Fulton's  acts,  and  the  events  of  his  life,  and  all 
his  discoveries  and  inventions,  we  felt  was  far 
beyond  our  capacity.  We  searched  for  months 
through  the  portraits  of  biographies,  carefully  read 


XX  INTRODUCTION. 

the  pages  of  cyclopaedias,  the  histories  of  statesmen, 
of  warriors,  of  inventors,  and  though  we  would  not 
exalt  the  character  of  one  inventor  at  the  expense  of 
another,  yet  we  must  say,  that  the  more  we  searched 
were  we  forced  to  conclude  that  Eobert  Fulton  was 
the  most  distinguished  inventor  the  world  has  ever 
produced.  All  the  written  laudations  that  mortal 
man  can  bestow,  cannot  convey  a  more  correct  and 
complete  idea  of  Fulton's  life  than  the  plain  nar- 
ration of  facts,  showing  his  acts  as  they  are  already 
inscribed  upon  the  scroll  of  fame. 

"Worlds  beyond  worlds  shall  bring  to  light  their  stores, 
Time,  nature,  science,  blend  their  utmost  powers, 
To  show,  concentred  in  one  blaze  of  fame, 
The  ungather'd  glories  that  await  his  name." 

Kobert  Fulton  was  a  man  at  fifteen  years  of  age, 
and  his  whole  life  exhibited  the  boldest  statesman- 
ship— evincing  a  mature  knowledge  of  the  arts  of 
government.  In  his  minority  he  was  the  most 
industrious  and  skilful  miniature  painter,  numeri- 
cal calculator,  mechanical  draughtsman,  original 
and  practical  artist,  and  remarkable  caricaturist, 
exhibiting  a  perfect  knowledge  of  human  nature. 

He  was  the  most  obedient  and  noblest  son  a 
virtuous  mother  ever  bore,  the  most  affectionate 
brother  that  sisters  ever  owned;  and  the  records 


INTRODUCTION.  XXI 

of  history  do  not  describe  a  youth  of  such  unble- 
mished character,  or  of  equal  talents. 

During  his  later  years,  his  acts  and  inventions 
were  of  such  an  extraordinary  character,  that  the 
eminent  philosopher,  Benjamin  Franklin,  who  had 
tamed  the  thunders  of  the  cloud-capped  skies,  the 
world-renowned  Emperor  Napoleon,  who  had  crossed 
the  Alpine  rocks  and  blown  up  the  magazines  of 
nations,  and  the  wise  directors  of  scientific  and 
philosophical  societies,  who  had  collected  the  arts 
and  sciences  of  the  world,  could  not  comprehend 
them,  and  publicly  rejected  and  repudiated  them 
as  visionary  and  impracticable. 

To  some  this  may  appear  exaggeration ;  but  the 
generous  inventor,  who  has  ever  recognized  Fulton 
as  the  HERO  of  inventors,  will  cheerfully  acknow- 
ledge that,  though  others  may  have  been  conducted 
in  the  paths  of  science  by  superior  learning,  and 
may  have  had  a  more  dazzling  career,  the  labours 
of  no  individual  have  manifested  the  same  origi- 
nality, have  been  more  honourable,  meritorious, 
or  practically  useful.  He  put  the  first  machine 
into  practice,  and  became  the  real  inventor. 

He  was  a  director  of  the  American  Academy 
of  Fine  Arts,  a  member  of  the  New  York  Histo- 
rical and  Philosophical  Society,  of  the  United 
States  Military  and  Philosophical  Society,  and  of 


XXli  INTRODUCTION. 

the  Literary  and   Philosophical   Society  of   New 
York. 

To  confirm  our  ideas  of  the  greatness  of  Fulton, 
great  in  all  his  inventions,  and  to  show  that  none 
knew  him  but  to  admire  and  love  him,  we  refer 
our  readers  to  the  following  generous  sentiments, 
expressed  by  learned  and  prominent  Americans 
shortly  after  his  decease  : 

Extract  from  the  Address — a  Memoir  of  Robert 
Fulton,  Esq.  —  delivered  before  the  Literary  and 
Philosophical  Society  of  New  York,  March  12, 
1817,  by  C.  D.  Golden,  Esq. 

"  GENTLEMEN  : 

"  In  compliance  with  the  practice  of  institu- 
tions similar  to  our  own,  this  Society  has  resolved 
to  preserve  on  its  records  memorials  of  the  lives 
of  those  who  have  been  its  distinguished  associates 
— who  have  contributed  to  its  reputation  and  ho- 
nour by  their  virtues,  their  genius,  and  by  the 
employment  of  their  talents. 

"  It  is  greatly  to  be  lamented  that  the  first  sub- 
ject for  a  record  of  this  kind  should  be  an  associate 
taken  from  us  in  the  prime  of  his  life,  and  in  the 
midst  of  his  usefulness ;  whose  virtues  and  manners 
endeared  him  to  all  who  knew  him,  and  whose  loss 
has  been  lamented  as  a  public  calamity. 

"  We  cannot  think  that  it  will  be  imputed  to  an 
undue  partiality  for  our  regretted  associate,  if  we 
say  tliat  there  cannot  be  found,  on  the  records  of 
departed  worth,  the  name  of  a  person  to  whose  indi~ 


INTRODUCTION.  XX111 

victual  exertions  mankind  are  more  indebted  than 
they  are  to  the  late  Robert  Fulton.  The  combined 
efforts  of  philosophers  and  statesmen  have  improved 
the  condition  of  man,  but  no  individual  has  con- 
ferred more  important  benefits  on  his  species  than  he 
whose  memory  now  engages  our  attention." 

Extract  from  a  Discourse  delivered  before  the  Ame- 
rican Academy  of  the  Arts,  by  his  Excellency 
DeWitt  Clinton,  Governor  of  New  York. 

"  Fortunately  for  the  interests  of  mankind,  Mr. 
Livingston  became  acquainted  with  ROBERT  FULTON, 
a  self-created  man,  who  has  risen  into  distinguished 
usefulness,  and  into  exalted  eminence,  by  the  ener- 
gies of  his  own  genius,  unsupported  by  extrinsic 
advantages. 

"  Mr.  Fulton  had  directed  the  whole  force  of  his 
mind  to  mathematical  learning  and  mechanical 
philosophy.  Plans  of  defence  against  maritime 
invasion,  and  of  subaquatic  navigation,  had  occu- 
pied his  reflections.  During  the  late  war,  he  was 
the  ARCHIMEDES  of  his  country. 

"  The  poet  was  considered  under  the  influence 
of  a  disordered  imagination  when  he  exclaimed : 

"  '  Soon  shall  thy  arm,  unconquer'd  steam,  afar 
Drag  the  slow  barge,  or  drive  the  rapid  car ; 
Or  on  wide-waving  wings  expanded  bear 
The  flying  chariot  through  the  fields  of  air !' 

"  The  connexion  between  Livingston  and  Fulton 
realized,  to  a  great  degree,  the  vision  of  the  poet. 
All  former  experiments  had  failed,  and  the  genius 
of  Fulton,  aided  and  fostered  by  the  public  spirit 


INTRODUCTION. 

and  discernment  of  Livingston,  created  one  of  the 
greatest  accommodations  for  the  benefit  of  mankind. 
These  illustrious  men  will  be  considered,  through 
all  time,  as  the  benefactors  of  the  world ;  they  will 
be  emphatically  hailed  as  the  Castor  and  Pollux  of 
antiquity — lucida  sidera — stars  of  excellent  light 
and  of  most  benign  influence. 

"  Mr.  Fulton  was  personally  well  known  to  most 
who  hear  me.  To  those  who  were  favoured  with 
the  high  communion  of  his  superior  mind,  I  need 
not  expatiate  on  the  wonderful  vivacity,  activity, 
comprehension,  and  clearness  of  his  intellectual 
faculties;  and  while  he  was  meditating  plans  of 
mighty  import  for  his  future  fame  and  his  country's 
good,  he  was  cut  down  in  the  prime  of  his  life,  and 
in  the  midst  of  his  usefulness.  Like  the  self-burn- 
ing tree  of  Gambia,  he  was  destroyed  by  the  fire 
of  his  own  genius,  and  the  never-ceasing  activity 
of  a  vigorous  mind." 

Extract  from  a  Discourse  delivered  before  the  New 
York  Historical  Society,  in  September,  1816,  by 
the  Hon.  Gouverneur  Morris. 

"  If  the  learned  leisure  of  European  wealth  can 
gain  applause  or  emolument  for  meting  out,  by  syl- 
lables reluctantly  drawn  together,  unharmonious 
hexameters,  far  be  it  from  us  to  rival  the  manu- 
facture. Be  it  ours  to  boast  that  the  first  vessel 
successfully  propelled  by  steam  was  launched  on 
the  bosom  of  Hudson's  river.  It  was  here  that 
American  genius,  seizing  the  arm  of  European 
science,  bent  to  the  purpose  of  our  favourite  parent 
art  the  wildest  and  most  devouring  element. 


INTRODUCTION.  XXV 

The  patron,  the  inventor,  are  no  more.  But  the 
names  of  Livingston  and  of  Fulton,  dear  to  fame, 
shall  be  engraven  ON  A  MONUMENT  SACRED  TO  THE 
BENEFACTORS  OF  MANKIND.  There  generations  yet 
unborn  shall  read : 

"  l  Godfrey  taught  seamen  to  interrogate 

With  steady  gaze,  though  tempest-tossed,  the  sun, 
And  from  his  beam  true  oracle  obtain. 
Franklin  dread  thunderbolts,  with  daring  hand. 
Seized,  and  averted  their  destructive  stroke 
From  the  protected  dwellings  of  mankind. 
FULTON  by  flame  compelled  the  angry  sea, 
To  vapour  rarefied,  his  bark  to  drive, 
IN  TRIUMPH  proud,  thro'  the  loud-sounding  surge/ 

"  This  invention  is  spreading  fast  in  the  civilized 
world;  and  though  excluded  as  yet  from  Russia, 
will,  ere  long,  be  extended  to  that  vast  empire. 
A  bird  hatched  on  the  Hudson  will  soon  people  the 
floods  of  the  Wolga,  and  cygnets  descended  from 
an  American  swan  glide  along  the  surface  of  the 
Caspian  sea.  Then  the  hoary  genius  of  Asia, 
high-throned  on  the  peaks  of  Caucasus,  his  moist 
eye  glistening  while  it  glances  over  the  ruins  of 
Babylon,  Persepolis,  Jerusalem,  and  Palmyra,  shall 
bow  with  grateful  reverence  to  the  inventive  spirit 
of  this  Western  World. 

"Hail,  Columbia!  child  of  science,  parent  of 
useful  arts  —  dear  country,  hail!  Be  it  thine  to 
meliorate  the  condition  of  man.  Too  many  thrones 
have  been  reared  by  arms,  cemented  by  blood,  and 
reduced  again  to  dust  by  the  sanguinary  conflict 
of  arms.  Let  mankind  enjoy  at  last  the  consolatory 
spectacle  of  thy  throne,  built  by  industry  on  the  basis 

3 


XXVI  INTRODUCTION. 

of  peace,  and  sheltered  under  the  wings  of  justice. 
May  it  be  secured  by  a  pious  obedience  to  that 
Divine  will  which  prescribes  the  moral  orbit  of 
empire  with  the  same  precision  that  his  wisdom 
and  power  have  displayed  in  whirling  millions  of 
planets  round  millions  of  suns  through  the  vastness 
of  infinite  space." 

In  presenting  this  work  to  a  generous  public,  we 
not  only  desire  to  attract  the  attention  of  AMERICAN 
INVENTORS  to  the  unparalleled  perseverance  of  Ful- 
ton, but  we  call  upon  the  youth  of  this  country, 
"Young  America,"  to  honour  the  name  of  Fulton 
by  imitating  his  exemplary  acts,  his  industrious 
habits,  and  adopting  his  youthful  motto  : 
"  There  is  nothing  impossible  to  do." 

No  student  possessed  a  mind  more  tremblingly 
.alive  upon  the  peculiar  subjects  of  his  pursuit  than 
Mr.  Fulton.  His  whole  mind  and  heart  were 
actively  engaged  in  calculating  how  he  could  best 
promote  the  happiness  of  his  fellow-man.  No 
college  lore,  no  academic  shade  in  the  forests  of 
Lancaster  county,  had  he  to  improve  his  intellect ; 
but  on  the  quiet  banks  of  the  winding  Conestoga 
stream  he  gathered  natural  strength  and  originality 
to  express  the  conceptions  of  his  own  mind  with 
force;  and  there  did  this  youthful  genius,  under 
the  impulse  of  a  new  thought,  pursue  the  chain 
with  which  it  was  connected. 


INTRODUCTION.  XXV11 

Another  object  of  the  author  in  publishing  this 
book,  is  to  collect  money  sufficient,  from  the  pro- 
ceeds of  the  sales,  to  erect,  in  the  city  of  Lancaster 
and  other  places, 

MONUMENTS   TO   THE   MEMORY  OF   ROBERT  FULTON; 

and  he  has  full  confidence  in  his  fellow-citizens, 
that  they  will  cheerfully  aid  his  humble  efforts  in 
this  worthy  project. 

The  monument  will  be  of  cast  iron,  a  colossal 
statue  of  Robert  Fulton,  supported  by  a  richly 
ornamented  pedestal,  composed  of  heavy  cast 
plates,  containing  twelve  correct  representations 
of  Mr.  Fulton's  inventions  and  drawings,  in  alto 
relievo.  From  the  original  patterns  and  moulds,  a 
large  number  of  these  statues  and  ornamented 
plates  can  be  cast;  and  every  city  in  the  United 
States  can  be  supplied,  and  enabled  to  perpetuate 
the  fame  of  Fulton. 


THE 


LIFE  OF  ROBERT  FULTON, 


CHAPTEK  I. 

EARLY    YEARS    OF    FULTON. 

"The  warrior's  name, 
Tho'  peal'd  on  all  the  tongues  of  fame, 
Sounds  less  harmonious  to  the  grateful  mind, 
Than  his  who  fashions  and  improves  mankind/' 

EGBERT  FULTON  was  born  in  the  township  of 
Little  Britain,  (now  called  Fulton),  in  the  county 
of  Lancaster,  and  State  of  Pennsylvania,  in  the 
year  seventeen  hundred  and  sixty-five.  He  was 
of  a  respectable  though  not  opulent  family.  His 
father,  Robert  Fulton,  emigrated  from  Ireland 
when  young:  he  had  followed  the  tailoring  busi- 
ness, but  afterwards  turned  his  attention  to  farm- 
ing. His  mother  was  of  a  respectable  family  by 
the  name  of  Smith,  established  in  Pennsylvania. 

Robert  Fulton,  Sr.,  and  Mary  Smith,  his  wife, 
had  five  children — three  daughters  and  two  sons. 
Robert  was  their  third  child  and  eldest  son. 

Mr.  Fulton  bought,  August  23, 1759,  and  resided 
3  *  (29) 


30          THE    LIFE    OF    ROBERT    FULTON. 

in,  the  present  brick  dwelling-house  situate  on  the 
north-east  corner  of  Centre  Square,  in  the  city  of 
Lancaster;  and  afterwards,  Feb.  8,  1765,  sold  and 
conveyed  the  same  to  Edward  Shippen,  Esq.  He 
then,  Feb.  8,  1765,  purchased  at  sheriff's  sale  the 
farm  in  Little  Britain  township,  and  removed  to  it. 
It  was  there  that  Robert  was  born.  It  contained 
364  acres  of  land,  and  the  consideration  was  £965. 

The  father  of  the  celebrated  Benjamin  West 
resided  in  the  adjoining  county,  and  was  an  inti- 
mate acquaintance  of  Mr.  Fulton.  It  is  certainly 
a  remarkable  coincidence  that  Benjamin  West  and 
Robert  Fulton,  the  two  immortal  artists,  were  born 
in  the  immediate  neighbourhood,  in  the  then  wild 
and  dense  forests  of  Pennsylvania,  enlivened  only 
by  the  Indian  camp-fires  along  the  Octorara  and 
Conawanga  hills ;  and  that  both  commenced  their 
career  and  spread  their  unparalleled  fame  together 
from  the  city  of  London,  the  capital  of  the  world. 

Mr.  Fulton  mortgaged  his  farm  to  William  West, 
Samuel  Purviance,  and  Joseph  Swift;  and,  Nov. 
29,  1766,  he  and  his  wife  Mary  conveyed  the  pro- 
perty to  the  mortgagees,  and  again  removed  to 
Lancaster  city,  where  he  died  in  1768,  and  was 
buried  in  the  cemetery  of  the  first  Presbyterian 
church  erected  in  Lancaster,  of  which  he  was  one 
of  the  founders.  It  is  also  a  singular  fact,  and 


EARLY  YEARS  OF  FULTON.      31 

creditable  to  the  family  of  Mr.  Joseph  Swift,  Sr., 
that  they  are  still  in  possession  of  the  Fulton  farm; 
and  by  the  industry  of  three  brothers,  Joseph, 
John,  and  Daniel  Swift,  grandsons  of  Joseph  Swift, 
Sr.,  who  reside  there  and  own  the  property,  it  is 
now  one  of  the  handsomest  farms  in  Lancaster 
county. 

In  1773,  Robert  Fulton  was  sent  to  school  by 
his  mother  to  acquire  the  rudiments  of  a  common 
English  education.  At  that  early  period  he  had 
already  a  slight  knowledge  of  reading,  writing,  and 
arithmetic,  which  he  had  learned  at  home.  Many 
persons  may  think  that  a  history  of  his  infancy 
would  be  of  no  importance ;  but  his  peculiar  genius 
manifested  itself  at  so  early  an  age,  that  even  his 
childhood  acts  and  schoolboy  pranks  are  not  unin- 
teresting. All  his  hours  of  recreation  were  spent 
usefully,  although  he  was  considered  as  a  dull  boy 
in  school.  He  preferred  the  employment  of  his 
pencil :  his  books  were  a  secondary  consideration 
with  him.  He  frequented  the  shops  of  mechanics, 
and  exhibited  his  talent  for  mechanism  and  taste 
for  drawing  to  such  a  degree,  as  to  become  a  helper 
to  the  apprentices,  and  a  welcome  visitor  to  their 
employers.  His  teacher,  a  Quaker  gentleman  by 
the  name  of  Caleb  Johnson,  one  day  called  him  to 
account  for  neglecting  his  studies,  and  took  occa- 


32          THE    LIFE    OF    ROBERT    FULTON. 

sion  to  strike  Robert  over  the  knuckles  with  a  rule, 
at  the  sarne  time  remarking  that  he  would  make 
him  do  something.  Robert  quickly  placed  his  arms 
a-kimbo,  and  looking  his  tutor  sternly  in  the  face, 
replied :  "  Sir,  I  came  here  to  have  something  beat 
into  my  brains,  and  not  into  my  knuckles." 

At  another  time,  when  about  nine  years  of  age, 
he  came  to  school  one  afternoon  rather  late.     Mr. 
Johnson  inquired  the  cause  of  his  detention  :  Robert 
candidly  told  him  that  he  had  been  at  Mr.  Nicho- 
las Miller's  shop  pounding  out  lead,  and  had  mg^u- 
factured  a  very  neatly  shaped  lead-pencil — "the 
best  I  ever  had  in  my  life,  sir."     He  exhibited  the 
pencil  to  his  teacher,  and  it  was  pronounced  excel- 
lent ;  and  in  a  few  days  afterwards  nearly  all  his 
schoolmates  supplied  themselves  with  pencils  simi- 
lar to  that  young  Robert  had  made.     Some  time 
after  this,  Mr.  Johnson  being  in  conversation  with 
Robert's  mother,  who  expressed  her  earnestness  in 
his  improvement,  yet  doubted  his  proper  attention 
to  his  books,  the  tutor  frankly  remarked  that  he 
had  used  his  best  endeavours,  and  that  Robert  had 
pertinaciously  declared  to  him  "that  his  head  was 
so  full  of  original  notions  that  there  was  no  vacant 
chamber  to  store  away  the  contents  of  any  dusty 
books."     This  was  a  remarkable  explanation  to  be 
made  by  a  youth  of  ten  years  of  age,  and  positive 


EARLY  YEARS  OF  FULTON.      33 

proof  that  the  particular  bent  and  direction  of 
Fulton's  genius  was  the  work  of  nature,  and  not 
the  result  of  habit  or  early  associations.  On  the 
1st  of  July,  1778,  the  following  notice  was  pub- 
lished in  the  city  of  Lancaster : 

"  The  excessive  heat  of  the  weather,  the  present 
scarcity  of  candles,  and  other  considerations,  induce 
the  Council  to  recommend  to  the  inhabitants  to 
forbear  illuminating  the  city  on  Saturday  evening 
next,  July  4th. 

"By  order 
(Signed)        " TIMOTHY  MATLACK,  Sec" 

Kobert  had  candles  prepared,  and  went  to  Mr. 

John  Fisher,  brushmaker,  living  near  the  jail,  who 

kept  powder  and  shot  for  sale.     Mr.  Fisher  was 

somewhat   astonished   at  Kobert's   desire  to   part 

with  the  candles,  which  at  that  time  were  scarce 

articles ;  and  he  asked  him  why  he  wished  to  part 

with  them?     Eobert  replied  that  "our  rulers  have 

requested  the  citizens  to  forbear  illuminating  their 

windows  and  streets :  as  good  citizens,  we  should 

respect  their  request ;    and  /  prefer  illuminating 

the  heavens  with  sky-rockets."     Having  procured 

the  powder,  he  left  Mr.  Fisher's,  and  entered  a 

small  variety  store  kept  by  Mr.  Theophilus  Cos- 

sart,  where  he  inquired  the  price  of  his  largest  size 

pasteboard;  and  having  purchased  several  sheets, 

which  Mr.  Cossart  was  in  the  act  of  rolling  up  for 

c 


34          THE    LIFE    OF    ROBERT    FULTON. 

him — he  requested  him  not  to  roll  them,  he  wished 
to  carry  them  open.  Mr.  Cossart,  well  knowing 
that  Robert  was  an  inventive  genius,  inquired  what 
he  was  about  to  invent. 

"Why,"  said  Robert,  "we  are  prohibited  from 
illuminating  our  windows  with  candles,  and  I'm 
going  to  shoot  my  candles  through  the  air." 

"Tut,  tut,  tut!''  said  Mr.  Cossart,  laughingly; 
"  that 's  an  impossibility." 

"No,  sir,"  said  Robert;  "there  is  nothing  impos- 
sible." 

It  cannot  be  doubted  that  this  idea  was  his 
success  in  after  life. 

Robert  was  known  to  purchase  small  quantities 
of  quicksilver  from  Dr.  Adam  Simon  Kuhn,  drug- 
gist, residing  opposite  the  market-house.  He  was 
trying  some  experiments  that  he  did  not  wish  to 
make  public;  and  which  the  workmen  in  Mr. 
Fenno's  and  Mr.  Christian  Isch's  shops  were  anxious 
to  find  out,  but  could  not.  He  was  in  the  almost 
daily  habit  of  visiting  those  shops — Mr.  Isch's 
smithshop  was  then  located  on  the  north-east 
corner  of  West  King  and  Prince  streets — and  was 
a  favourite  among  the  workmen,  who  took  advan- 
tage of  his  talent  for  drawing  by  getting  him  to 
make  ornamental  designs  for  guns,  and  sketches  of 
the  size  and  shapes  of  guns,  and  then  giving  the 


EARLY  YEARS  OF  FULTON.      35 

calculations  of  the  force,  size  of  the  bore  and  balls, 
and  the  distances  they  would  fire ;  and  he  would 
accompany  them  to  the  open  commons  near  by 
Potter's  field,  to  prove  his  calculations  by  shooting 
at  a  mark.  On  account  of  his  expertness  in  his 
calculations,  and  of  their  ineffectual  efforts  to  dis- 
cover the  use  he  was  making  of  quicksilver,  the 
shop-hands  nicknamed  him  "quicksilver  Bob." 

Mr.  Messersmith  and  Mr.  Christian  Isch  were 
employed  by  the  Government  to  make  and  repair 
the  arms  for  the  troops ;  and  on  several  occasions 
guards  were  stationed  at  their  shops  to  watch  and 
see  that  the  workmen  were  constantly  employed 
during  whole  nights  and  on  Sunday,  to  prevent 
any  delay.  The  workmen  had  so  much  reliance 
and  confidence  in  "quicksilver  Bob's"  judgment 
and  mechanical  skill,  that  every  suggestion  he 
would  make  as  to  the  alteration  of  a  gun,  or  any 
additional  ornament  that  he  would  design,  were 
invariably  adopted  by  common  consent. 

In  the  summer  of  1779,  Eobert  Fulton  evinced 
an  extraordinary  fondness  for  inventions.  He  was 
a  frequent  visitor  at  Mr.  Messersmith's  and  Fenno's 
gunsmith  shops,  almost  daily ;  and  endeavoured  to 
manufacture  a  small  air-gun.  One  of  Mr.  Jacob 
Messersmith's  apprentices,  Mr.  Christopher  Gumpf, 
who  was  at  the  time  eighteen  years  of  age,  used 


36          THE    LIFE    OF    ROBERT    FULTON. 

frequently  to  accompany  his  father,  Deter  Gumpf, 
to  the  Conestoga  on  fishing  excursions,  Mr.  Deter 
Gumpf  being  an  experienced  angler,  and  very  fond 
of  fishing,  and  he  was  pleased  to  have  the  company 
of  Christopher  and  Eobert.  The  old  gentleman^ 
had  a  small  flat-boat,  which  he  had  kept  secured 
to  the  trunk  of  a  tree  by  a  chain  and  padlock,  for 
his  own  accommodation.  He  generally  required 
the  boys  to  pole  the  boat  to  different  parts  of  the 
creek  in  the  neighbourhood  of  Eockford,  the  coun- 
try-seat of  General  Hand,  which  at  that  time  was 
the  most  secluded,  deeply  shaded,  and  quiet  neigh- 
bourhood along  the  Conestoga.  Returning  home- 
ward one  evening,  Fulton  observed  to  Christopher 
that  he  was  very  tired  using  that  pole,  and  Chris- 
topher coincided  with  him  that  the  labour  was  too 
severe. 

Kobert  absented  himself  a  week,  having  gone  to 
Little  Britain  township  to  spend  a  few  days  at  his 
aunt's ;  and  while  there  he  planned  and  completed 
a  small  working  model  of  a  fishing-boat  with  pad- 
dle-wheels. On  leaving  his  aunt's,  he  placed  the 
model  in  the  garret,  with  a  request  that  it  should 
not  be  destroyed.  Many  years  afterwards,  that 
simple  model  was  the  attraction  of  friends,  and 
became,  instead  of  lumber  in  the  garret,  an  orna- 
ment in  the  aunt's  parlour,  who  prized  it  highly. 


EARLY  YEARS  OF  FULTON.      37 

That  model  was  the  result  of  Robert's  fishing 
excursions  with  Christopher  Gumpf ;  and  when  he 
returned  from  his  aunt's  he  told  Christopher  that 
he  must  make  a  set  of  paddles  to  work  at  the  sides 
of  the  boat,  to  be  operated  by  a  double  crank,  and 
then  they  could  propel  the  old  gentleman's  fishing- 
boat  with  greater  ease.  Two  arms  or  pieces  of 
timber  were  then  fastened  together  at  right  angles, 
with  a  paddle  at  each  end,  and  the  crank  was 
attached  to  the  boat  across  it  near  the  stern,  with 
a  paddle  operating  on  a  pivot  as  a  rudder;  and 
Fulton's  first  invention  was  tried  on  the  Conestoga 
river  opposite  Rockford,  in  the  presence  of  Deter 
and  Christopher  Gumpf.  The  boys  were  so  pleased 
with  the  experiment,  that  they  hid  the  paddles  in 
the  bushes  on  shore,  lest  others  might  use  and  break 
them,  and  attached  them  to  the  boat  whenever 
they  chose;  and  thus  did  they  enjoy  very  many 
fishing  excursions. 

Robert  was  a  violent  revolutionary  Whig,  a 
regular  rebel,  and  made  numerous  pencil  sketches 
ridiculing  the  tories  of  the  Revolution.  He  made 
a  drawing  representing  the  barracks  at  that  time 
containing  the  British  prisoners  of  war,  and  located 
in  Duke  above  Walnut  street.  Along  Duke,  be- 
tween Walnut,  numerous  square  huts  of  mud  and 
sod  were  erected,  in  which  the  Hessians  were  sta- 
4 


CHAPTER  II. 

THE    HOMESTEAD 


"  Behold  the  maternal  homestead  ! 
Arch'd  by  filial  acts,  its  portal  gleams 
"With  various  gems  of  intermingling  beams. J 


THE  WIDOW  S  HOME,  AND  THE  GOLDEN  DEED  OF  THE 
WIDOW'S  SON. 

EGBERT  FULTON,  at  the  age  of  seventeen  years, 
left  Lancaster  city  for  Philadelphia,  to  pursue  his 
enterprising  genius  and  talent  as  an  artist  with  his 
pencil.  He  there  derived  emolument  from  painting 
portraits  and  landscapes,  and  making  drawings  of 
machinery;  and  he  remained  there  until  he  was 
about  twenty-one  years  of  age,  and  enjoyed  the 
acquaintance  and  company  of  Benjamin  Franklin, 
by  whom  he  was  much  noticed.  He  returned  to 
Lancaster  on  his  twenty-first  birthday ;  and,  with  his 
heart  bounding  with  joy,  he  gave  the  means  he  had 
acquired  in  Philadelphia  to  the  relief  and  comfort 
of  his  mother  and  sisters.  He  took  them  imme- 
diately to  Washington  county,  Penna.,  and  pur- 

(39) 


40          THE    LIFE    OF    ROBERT    FULTON. 

chased  a  small  farm,  on  which  he  settled  them; 
and  after  seeing  his  parent  comfortably  established 
in  the  home  which  he  had  provided  for  her,  he  sat 
out  with  the  intention  of  returning  to  Philadelphia. 
On  his  way,  he  visited  the  Warm  Springs  of  Penn- 
sylvania for  the  benefit  of  his  health.  A  short 
time  previous  he  had  been  attacked  with  an  in- 
flammation of  the  lungs  —  this  was  succeeded  by  a 
spitting  of  blood,  and  other  symptoms  indicating  a 
disposition  to  pulmonary  complaints :  under  these 
circumstances,  at  the  same  time  that  he  was  in- 
fluenced by  other  views,  he  was  induced,  by  the 
advice  of  his  friends,  to  make  a  voyage  to  Europe. 
He  was  assured  that  he  would  meet  with  the 
patronage  of  his  countryman  Mr.  West,  who  had 
already  attained  great  celebrity  as  an  artist  unri- 
valled. Full  of  expectations,  he  left  his  native 
country  for  England,  whilst  his  manly  brow  bore 
the  imprint  of  his  mother's  caress  and  blessing, 
and  he  became  the  maker  of  his  own  fortune. 

Poets  have  sung  their  loud  paeans  of  the  GOLDEN 
AGE,  Chronologists  of  the  GOLDEN  NUMBER,  Arith- 
meticians of  the  GOLDEN  KULE  —  we  would  strike 
the  strings  of  a  new  golden  harp,  whose  vibrations 
shall  excite  every  filial  heart,  and  touch  the  par- 
ticular passions  of  the 

YOUTH  OF  AMERICA. 


THE    GOLDEN    DEED. 

Let  us  with  hurried  hands  grasp  hold  of  the 
brightest  plume  of  the  American  eagle ;  and  with 
its  piercing  point  o'ertipped  with  gold,  write  cf  the 
GOLDEN  DEED,  that  man  hath  ne'er  foretold. 
The  Golden  Deed. 

"  KNOW  ALL  MEN   BY  THESE   PRESENTS,  that  I,  Thomas 

Pollock,  and  Margaret,  his  wife,  of  the  township  of  Hope- 
well,  county  of  Washington,  and  State  of  Pennsylvania, 
for  and  in  consideration  of  the  sum  of  eighty  pounds,  law- 
ful money  of  the  State  aforesaid,  to  me  in  hand  paid  by 
Robert  Fulton,  miniature  painter,  of  the  city  of  Philadel- 
phia, and  State  aforesaid,  yeoman,  before  the  sealing  and 
delivery  of  these  presents,  the  receipt  whereof  we  do 
hereby  acknowledge,  and  ourselves  therewith  fully  satis- 
fied, contented,  and  paid,  have  granted,  bargained,  sold, 
and  confirmed,  and  by  these  presents  do  grant,  bargain, 
sell,  make  over,  and  confirm  unto  the  aforesaid  Robert 
Fulton,  to  his  heirs  and  assigns — 

"A  certain  parcel  of  land  on  the  waters  of  Cross  creek, 
it  being  part  of  a  tract  of  land  granted  by  the  Common- 
wealth of  Pennsylvania,  the  12th  day  of  December,  A.D. 
1785,  to  the  Rev.  Joseph  Smith,  his  heirs  and  assigns, 
called  Wiliome,  situated  on  the  waters  aforesaid,  in  the 
county  aforesaid,  BEGINNING  at  a  corner  white-oak,  thence 
by  other  lands  of  the  said  Joseph  Smith  south  eighty-five 
degrees,  west  forty-six  perches  to  a  white-oak  on  the 
Wheeling  path,  thence  north  thirty-two  degrees,  west 
eighteen  perches  to  a  post,  thence  south  sixty-eight  de- 
grees, west  one  hundred  and  thirty-seven  perches  to  a 
dogwood  tree,  thence  north  thirty  degrees,  west  one  hun- 
dred and  fifty  perches  to  a  stump  and  hickory  tree,  thence 
south  thirty  degrees,  west  two  hundred  perches  to  the  place 
of  Beginning  —  CONTAINING  eighty-four  (84)  acres  and 
three-fourths  of  an  acre — 


THE    GOLDEN    DEED. 

"With  the  appurtenances,  (which  said  land  was  formerly 
surveyed  and  platted  by  a  certain  John  Hale  for  a  certain 
Thomas  Gardner,  afterwards  surveyed  with  a  tract  of  land 
in  pursuance  of  a  warrant  granted  to  the  said  Joseph 
Smith,  dated  the  30th  of  September,  1785,  and  conveyed 
by  said  Joseph  Smith  and  Esther  his  wife  to  Thomas  Pol- 
lock)—  To  have  and  to  hold  the  tract  or  parcel  of  land, 
with  the  appurtenances,  unto  the  said  Robert  Fulton  and 
his  heirs,  to  the  use  of  him,  the  said  Robert  Fulton,  his 
heirs  and  assigns,  for  ever,  free  and  clear  of  all  restric- 
tions and  reservations  as  to  mines,  royalties,  quit-rents,  or' 
otherwise,  excepting  and  reserving  only  the  fifth  part 
of  all  gold  and  silver  ore  for  the  use  of  this  Common- 
wealth, to  be  delivered  at  the  pit's  mouth,  clear  of  all 
charges. 

"In  witness  whereof  we  have  here  set  our  hands  and 
caused  our  seals  to  be  affixed,  the  6th  day  of  May,  A.D. 

1786. 

"  THOMAS  POLLOCK,  [L.  s.] 
"MARGARET  POLLOCK,  [L.  s.] 
"Signed,  sealed,  and  delivered  in  the  presence  of 
"  J.  MARSHAL, 
"MARY  MARSHAL, 
"THOMAS  MARQUES." 

All  of  which  was  duly  acknowledged  before  J. 
Marshal,  Esq.,  and  afterwards  recorded  in  the 
Recorder's  office  in  and  for  the  county  of  Wash- 
ington, in  Record  Book  C,  vol.  i.,  page  56,  May 
the  8th,  1786. 


THE    HOMESTEAD.  41 

This  earthly  heritage  gave  peace  and  comfort  to 
the  widow's  heart,  dispersed  all  sore  distress ;  and 
each  day  fresh  beams  of  gladness  brightened  round 
the  maternal  mansion,  until  the  deep  trumpet's 
solemn  voice  called  her  from  the  cares  of  the  world 
to  that  house  not  made  with  hands,  eternal  in  the 
heavens. 

She  died  in  seventeen  hundred  and  ninety-nine. 
Afterwards  Mrs.  Elizabeth  Scott,  her  daughter, 
continued  to  reside  there,  having  inherited  the 
farm,  stock  of  horses  and  cattle,  implements  of 
husbandry,  furniture,  and  everything  belonging 
thereto,  through  the  noble  generosity  of  her  bro- 
ther, the  author,  the  original  inventor,  of  the 
GOLDEN  DEED. 

Eobert  Fulton's  whole  life  was  wonderfully 
novel.  There  was  some  unknown  influence  that 
was  his  guardian  GENIUS.  The  maternal  lessons 
he  had  received  formed  his  conduct  through  life ; 
and  there  was  a  secret  which  we  cannot  fathom, 
which  was  useful  to  his  success  of  affairs,  and 
which  at  his  death  produced  the  greatest  respect 
ever  offered  to  a  private  citizen.  He  started 
through  life  with  his  mother's  blessing ;  and  that 
may  have  been  the  secret  which  buoyed  up  all  his 
hopes  and  anticipations  to  surmount  and  get  the 
better  of  all  difficulties  and  impediments. 
4* 


42          THE    LIFE    OF    ROBERT    FULTON. 

These  testimonials  of  respect  were  drawn  forth 
chiefly  by  admiration  of  the  transcendent  genius 
of  Fulton,  and  for  the  benefits  he  had  rendered  to 
mankind.  But  there  was  that  in  his  character 
which  the  world  did  not  so  readily  see,  and  which 
was  hardly  thought  of  amid  all  the  imposing  de- 
monstrations at  his  funeral.  If  he  was  great  by 
the  superiority  of  his  genius,  he  was  no  less  so  by 
the  goodness  of  his  heart ;  and  it  will  be  difficult 
to  find,  in  the  whole  range  of  remarkable  biogra- 
phies, anything  more  touching  and  beautiful  than 
the  filial  piety  which  prompted  him,  with  the  very 
first  earnings  that  he  could  call  his  own,  to  pur- 
chase a  homestead  for  his  widowed  mother.  He 
felt  within  himself,  no  doubt,  the  irrepressible 
impulses  of  a  great  intellect.  Humble,  unknown, 
unpatronized  as  he  was,  he  was  yet  conscious  to 
himself  what  great  things  he  was  capable  of;  and 
the  most  ardent  wish  of  his  soul,  we  may  presume, 
was  to  go  abroad,  to  mingle  with  men,  to  come  in 
contact  with  that  mighty  world  on  whose  destinies 
he  already  felt  that  he  was  to  exert  a  lasting  in- 
fluence. But,  repressing  all  selfish  and  personal 
considerations,  all  the  aspirations  of  a  noble  ambi- 
tion, with  a  filial  piety  that  never  can  be  too  much 
commended,  he  devotes  his  first  hard  earnings  to 
the  comfort  of  his  widowed  and  dependent  mother. 


THE    HOMESTEAD.  43 

Nor  was  it  until  he  saw  her  provided  for  that  he 
went  forth  to  see  the  world,  and  to  bring  to  light 
the  great  thoughts  and  discoveries  that  were  already 
struggling  in  his  bosom. 

In  the  splendor  of  his  discoveries,  we  are  apt  to 
forget  that  Fulton  was  anything  but  a  great  me- 
chanical genius;  but  in  his  own  secret  conscious- 
ness, we  doubt  not,  and  especially  as  his  last  hours 
drew  nigh,  the  honours  paid  to  his  genius  gave  him 
less  satisfaction  than  the  remembrance  of  those 
modest,  unseen  virtues,  which  were  known  only  to 
God  and  his  own  heart.  And  whilst  we  pay  the 
willing  tribute  of  admiration  to  his  splendid  me- 
chanical achievements,  let  us  remember,  as  at  least 
equally  worthy  of  our  respect  and  imitation,  his 
beautiful  devotion  to  the  wants  and  comfort  of  his 
widowed  mother.  If  the  mother  of  Washington 
felt  her  heart  throb  with  joy  when  she  replied  that 
"George  was  always  a  good  boy"  the  county  of 
"Washington  will  for  ever  bear  evidence  of  the  fact 
that  "Robert  Fulton  was  a  noble  son !" 


CHAPTER  III. 

FINE  ARTS,  AND  MECHANIC  ARTS,  A  SHORT 
HISTORY  OF  BENJAMIN  WEST,  AND  THE 
INVENTIONS  OF  MR.  FULTON. 

When  the  American  poets  shall  in  future  times  celebrate  the 
golden  age  of  their  country,  they  will  draw  their  descriptions 
from  the  authentic  history  of  Pennsylvania  —  the  age  of  Penn, 
of  Fulton,  and  of  West. 

MR.  FULTON'S  reception  by  Mr.  West  was  such 
as  he  had  been  led  to  expect.  That  distinguished 
American  was  so  pleased  with  his  promising  and 
enterprising  genius,  and  his  many  amiable  qualities, 
that  he  took  him  into  his  house,  where  he  con- 
tinued an  inmate  for  several  years. 

When  Mr.  Fulton  returned  to  this  country,  he 
brought  with  him  a  family  piece  representing  that 
great  artist  and  his  lady,  done  by  Mr.  West  him- 
self, who  also  painted  a  portrait  of  Mr.  Fulton, 
which  his  family  now  possesses,  a  correct  copy  of 
which  embellishes  the  front  of  this  work.  These 
pieces  were  offerings  of  friendship,  and  were  made 
and  received  as  tokens  of  the  attachment  formed 
between  the  family  of  that  great  painter  and  his 

(44) 


ARTS  AND  INVENTIONS  OF  FULTON.   45 

young  friend,  at  an  early  day,  and  which  lasted 
until  his  death. 

After  leaving  that  family,  he  appears  for  some 
time  to  have  made  the  art  in  which  he  had  had 
the  benefit  of  the  instructions  of  that  great  master, 
his  chief  employment.  He  spent  two  years  in 
Devonshire,  near^  Exeter,  where  he  made  many 
respectable  acquaintances,  and  among  others  he 
became  known  to  the  Duke  of  Bridgewater,  so 
famous  for  his  canals,  and  Lord  Stanhope,  a  noble- 
man celebrated  for  his  love  of  science,  and  particu- 
larly for  his  attachment  to  the  mechanic  arts.  Mr. 
Fulton  was  for  a  long  time  in  correspondence  with 
Lord  Stanhope;  and  they  communicated  to  each 
other  ideas  on  subjects  to  which  their  minds  were 
mutually  directed. 

Mr.  Fulton,  throughout  his  course  as  a  civil 
engineer  and  mechanist,  derived  great  advantage 
from  his  talent  for  drawing  and  painting.  He  was 
an  elegant  and  accurate  draughtsman.  Of  his  abili- 
ties in  this  important  branch  of  his  profession,  the 
plates  annexed  to  the  "Columbiad,"  the  work  we 
have  mentioned,  and  the  copies  of  which  we  have 
here  inserted,  afford  strong  proof.  This  gave  him 
great  facility  in  causing  his  designs  to  be  executed, 

and  a  great  advantage  over  most  who  have  engaged 

\ 
in  similar  pursuits. 


46          THE    LIFE    OF    ROBERT    FULTON. 

There  is  dignity  of  character,  fine  expression, 
delicate  design,  correct  drawing,  and  beautiful  con- 
ception, in  all  Mr.  Fulton's  paintings.  All  which 
qualities  can  only  spring  from  an  elevated  mind — 
such  a  mind  that  could  only  be  benefited  by  the 
works  of  the  great  Benjamin  West,  who  was  one 
of  the  most  celebrated  classical  painters  the  world 
ever  produced,  second  only  to  the  immortal  Ra- 
phael, and  who  exceeded  all  other  historical  pain- 
ters (except  Rubens)  in  the  number  and  variety 
of  his  productions. 

Mr.  Fulton's  attachment  to  the  fine  arts  led  him 
to  conceive  the  design  of  inducing  his  countrymen 
to  purchase  the  works  of  Mr.  "West,  the  principal 
part  of  which  that  great  artist  was  then  willing 
to  part  with.  For  this  purpose  he  wrote  an  ad- 
dress to  the  citizens  of  Philadelphia,  urging  them 
to  establish  an  Institute  for  the  Fine  Arts,  similar 
to  the  one  which  now  exists  in  that  city.  After 
exhibiting  with  great  force  and  animation  the 
advantages  to  be  derived  from  the  cultivation  of  a 
taste  for  painting  and  sculpture,  and  portraying 
the  character  and  merits  of  Mr.  West  with  all  the 
warmth  of  friendship  and  admiration,  Mr.  Fulton 
says :  "  I  now  have  the  pleasure  to  offer  you  a 
catalogue  of  the  select  works  of  Mr.  West,  and 
with  it  to  present  the  most  extraordinary  oppor- 


ARTS    AND    INVENTIONS    OF    FULTON.      47 

tunity  that  ever  was  offered  to  the  lovers  of  science. 
The  catalogue  referred  to  is  a  list  of  all  Mr.  "West's 
productions,  portraits  excepted.  No  city  ever  had 
such  a  collection  of  admired  works  from  the  pencil 
of  one  man,  and  that  man  is  your  fellow-citizen. 
The  price  set  on  the  collection  is  fifteen  thousand 
pounds  sterling — a  sum  inconsiderable  when  com- 
pared with  the  objects  in  view,  and  the  advantages 
to  be  derived  from  it." 

Mr.  Fulton  then  proceeds  to  propose  means  for 
raising  the  necessary  funds,  and  to  suggest  arrange- 
ments for  the  establishment,  which  he  wishes  might 
be  called  the  Westinian  Gallery. 

This  proposition  could  not  have  been  made  with- 
out the  assent  of  Mr.  West.  If  it  were  so,  it  is 
curious  to  remark  that  he  was  then  willing  to  part 
with  his  whole  collection,  which  must  have  con- 
tained the  works  of  the  prime  of  his  life,  for  little 
more  than  he  has  since  received  for  a  few  of  his 
celebrated  paintings. 

Every  man  to  whom  this  proposition  was  ad- 
dressed, must  now  deeply  regret  that  it  was  not 
accepted ;  and  the  more  so  because  we  learn,  from 
this  same  address  of  Mr.  Fulton,  that  had  the  offer 
been  accepted,  and  the  plan  proposed  by  Mr.  Ful- 
ton carried  into  execution,  Mr.  "West  would  proba- 


48          THE    LIFE    OF    ROBERT    FULTON. 

bly  have  returned  to  and  have  spent  the  evening 
of  his  life  in  his  native  country. 

At  the  sale  of  the  pictures  of  the  Royal  Aca- 
demy, in  1805,  Mr.  Fulton  purchased  West's  Ophe- 
lia and  his  King  Lear:  for  the  first  of  these  he 
gave  one  hundred  and  twenty-five,  and  for  the 
other  two  hundred  and  five  guineas.  In  such  esti- 
mation were  the  works  of  West,  that  the  English 
seemed  to  have  been  unwilling  to  spare  us  even 
these  specimens  of  his  talents.  A  periodical  work 
published  in  London  at  this  time,  thus  notices  the 
purchase  of  Mr.  Fulton : 

"We  have  to  regret  that  the  two  last-mentioned  pictures, 
which  are  the  most  happy  productions  of  the  truly  classic 
mind  of  Mr.  West,  are  going  out  of  the  country.  They 
have  been  purchased  by  an  American  gentleman,  (Mr. 
Fulton,  of  Philadelphia,)  and  are  to  be  the  first  ornaments 
of  a  gallery  which  is  to  be  established  in  that  city.  We 
cannot  part  with  them  without  feeling  interested  in  the  fate 
of  the  beautiful  Ophelia,  whose  charming  elegance,  mingled 
with  delirious  wildness,  fills  the  soul  with  the  most  lively 
sentiments ;  nor  with  the  majestic  Lear,  whose  heart  seems 
torn  with  ingratitude  and  the  sense  of  complicated  evils. 
There  is  a  grandeur  of  conception  and  spirit  of  execution 
in  this  picture,  which  has  been  seldom  surpassed,  and  which 
can  only  be  enjoyed  by  men  of  cultivated  taste  and  ele- 
vated minds.  In  such  paintings  we  are  not  to  look  for 
delicate  complexions,  smooth  and  polished  surfaces,  or  fine 
colours — nor  doxwe  look  for  such  qualities  in  the  works  of 
Raphael ;  but  for  correct  drawing,  fineness  of  touch,  fine 
flow  of  drapery,  dignity  of  character,  and  movement  of 
soul,  all  of  which  are  treated  in  these  pictures  with  the 


ARTS    AND    INVENTIONS    OF    FULTON.      49 

highest  order  of  intellect,  and  will  rank  them  among  the 
most  distinguished  works  of  art  when  Mr.  West  will  be  no 
more.  Feeling  as  we  do,  it  is  with  reason  we  regret  that 
those  pictures  are  to  leave  this  country ;  but  it  must  be 
highly  gratifying  to  the  Pennsylvanians  to  possess  such 
works  of  their  celebrated  and  much-esteemed  countryman." 

This  eulogy  on  one  of  the  earliest,  best,  and 
most  respected  friends  of  Mr.  Fulton,  will  not  be 
considered,  it  is  hoped,  as  a  too  long,  or  as  a  mis- 
placed digression.  The  genius  of  West  and  Ful- 
ton have  secured  them  an  immortal  fame.  It  is 
possible  that  the  humblest  efforts  to  preserve 
memorials  of  either  of  them,  may  rescue  from 
oblivion  a  performance  of  the  slightest  merit ;  and 
when  succeeding  generations  shall  view,  with  in- 
creased admiration,  these  productions  of  the  first 
and  greatest  American  masters  improved  by  the 
hand  of  time,  their  histories  will  be  most  interest- 
ing, and  will  be  thought  to  have  been  worth  pre- 
serving. 

In  honor  of  the  great  preceptor  of  Fulton,  we 
insert  a  short  history  of  his  life  and  works.* 

*  Benjamin  West,  President  of  the  Royal  Academy  in  London, 
who  cast  a  splendour  upon  the  age  in  which  he  lived,  was  born  in 
Chester  county,  Pennsylvania,  on  the  10th  of  October,  A.D.  1738. 
The  old  mansion  house  where  he  was  born  is  still  standing,  and 
is  now  called  "  Westdale,"  about  ten  miles  south-west  of  Phila- 
delphia city.  The  farm  was  originally  settled  by  his  maternal 
5  D 


50          THE    LIFE    OF    ROBERT    FULTON. 

In  1797,  Mr.  Fulton  took  his  lodgings  in  Paris, 
at  an  hotel  in  which  Joel  Barlow,  our  American 

grandfather,  and  called  "  Springfield."  The  West  family  emi- 
grated from  England  with  William  Perm,  on  his  second  visit  to 
Pennsylvania,  in  1699,  and  belonged  to  the  Society  of  Friends. 
John  West,  the  father  of  Benjamin,  married  Sarah,  the  daughter 
of  Thomas  Pearson,  about  the  year  1714,  by  whom  he  had  ten 
children :  Benjamin  was  the  youngest  son.  As  early  as  June, 
1745,  he  sketched  with  red  and  black  ink  a  correct  likeness  of 
his  sister's  child,  whilst  it  was  asleep  in  the  cradle.  The  young 
artist  was  not  provided  with  better  materials  than  pen  and  ink 
until  the  following  summer,  when  a  party  of  Indians  came  to  pay 
their  annual  visit  to  Springfield,  and  being  amused  with  the 
sketches  of  birds  and  flowers  which  Benjamin  showed  them,  they 
presented  him  with  the  colours  with  which  they  painted  their 
ornaments,  and  they  taught  him  to  prepare  the  primary  colours. 
The  mythologies  of  antiquity  furnish  no  allegory  more  beautiful. 
Here  is  the  immortal  artist  instructed  by  nature  j  AND  WE  CAN- 
NOT IMAGINE  ANYTHING  MORE  PICTURESQUE  THAN  THE  REAL 
INCIDENT  OP  INDIANS  INSTRUCTING  WEST  TO  PREPARE  THE 
PRISMATIC  COLOURS. 

His  first  pencils  he  made  of  the  fur  of  a  cat,  drawn  tightly 
through  a  goose-quill.  His  first  picture  was  painted  for  his 
mother,  and  was  a  composition  from  two  engravings ;  and  sixty- 
seven  years  afterwards,  the  artist  had  the  picture  in  the  same 
room  with  the  sublime  painting  of  "Christ  rejected;"  and  he 
then  declared  that  he  had  never  been  able  to  surpass  some  of  the 
touches  of  art  in  his  first  and  juvenile  essay.  His  second  pic- 
ture was  a  landscape,  which  comprehended  a  picturesque  view  of 
a  river,  with  vessels  on  the  water,  and  cattle  pasturing  on  the 
banks :  he  afterwards  presented  it  to  his  friend  William  Henry, 


ARTS  AND  INVENTIONS  OF  FULTON.   51 

Minister  and  celebrated  clergyman,  and  his  lady, 
had  their  residence.  "Here/'  to  use  the  warm 

Esq.,  of  Lancaster,  whose  family  still  retain  it  in  possession. 
The  little  artist  was  sent  for  to  go  to  Lancaster,  for  the  purpose 
of  taking  the  likenesses  of  Mrs.  Ross  and  her  family.  Mrs. 
Ross  was  greatly  admired  for  her  beauty.  Such  was  the  success 
with  which  he  executed  this  first  portrait,  that  his  celebrity  was 
greatly  enlarged. 

In  1750,  whilst  Benjamin  West  was  painting  these  numerous 
portraits  in  this  city,  Mr.  William  Henry  closely  watched  and 
examined  the  young  artist's  performances,  and  he  observed  to 
him  that  if  he  (Henry)  could  paint  as  well,  he  would  not  waste 
his  time  on  portraits,  but  would  devote  himself  to  historical 
subjects;  and  he  mentioned  the  "Death  of  Socrates/'  as  afford- 
ing one  of  the  best  topics  for  illustrating  the  moral  effect  of  the 
art  of  painting.  The  painter  knew  nothing  of  the  history  of  the 
philosopher;  and,  upon  confessing  his  ignorance,  Mr.  Henry 
went  to  his  library,  and  taking  down  a  volume  of  the  English 
translation  of  Plutarch,  read  to  him  the  account  given  by  that 
writer  of  this  affecting  story.  West  said  that  he  would  be  happy 
to  undertake  the  task,  but,  having  hitherto  painted  only  faces 
and  men  clothed,  he  should  be  unable  to  do  justice  to  the  figure 
of  the  slave  who  presented  the  poison,  and  which  he  thought 
ought  to  be  naked.  Henry  had  among  his  workmen  a  very 
handsome  young  man,  and,  without  waiting  to  answer  the  objec- 
tion, he  sent  for  him.  On  his  entrance  into  the  room,  he  pointed 
him  out  to  West,  and  said  :  "  There  is  your  model !"  And  this 
instruction  instantaneously  convinced  the  artist  that  he  had  only 
to  look  into  nature  for  his  models.  The  "  Death  of  Socrates" 
was  finished,  and  the  career  of  the  artist  was  from  that  time 
facilitated.  And  thus  did  the  taste,  intelligence,  and  generosity 


52          THE    LIFE    OF    ROBERT    FULTON. 

language  of  one  who  participated  in  the  sentiments 
expressed,  "  commenced  that  strong  affection,  that 

of  the  citizens  of  Lancaster  secure  the  first  portrait,  the  first 
landscape,  and  the  first  grand  historical  production  of  the 
immortal  West. 

In  this  favorable  state  of  things  he  attained  his  sixteenth  year, 
when  a  meeting  of  the  Society  of  Friends  was  called  at  Spring- 
field, to  consider  publicly  what  ought  to  be  the  destiny  of  Benja- 
min West.  After  sitting  some  time  in  silence,  John  Williamson 
addressed  the  meeting.  At  the  conclusion  of  his  address,  the 
women  rose  and  kissed  the  young  artist,  and  the  men  one  by  one 
laid  their  hands  on  his  head,  and  prayed  that  the  Lord  might 
verify  in  his  life  the  value  of  the  gift  which  had  induced  them, 
despite  of  their  religious  tenets,  to  allow  him  to  cultivate  the 
faculties  of  his  genius.  One  of  his  early  productions  was  the 
treaty  of  William  Penn  with  the  Indians,  under  the  great  elm 
tree  in  Kensington,  illustrating  the  first  public  contract  which 
connected  the  inhabitants  of  the  Old  and  New  World  together: 
a  treaty,  though  not  ratified  by  oath,  that  has  never  been  broken. 

In  1759,  Benjamin  West  visited  Europe  to  study  the  masterly 
performances  of  Rome  and  the  other  cities  of  Italy,  where  he 
received  the  applause  of  the  best  judges,  and  honorable  mem- 
bership conferred  on  him  by  the  Academies  of  Parma,  Florence, 
and  Bologna. 

Among  the  distinguished  persons  whom  Mr.  West  found  in 
Home,  was  the  celebrated  Cardinal  Albani,  at  an  evening-party. 
The  Cardinal  became  curious  to  witness  the  effect  which  the 
works  of  art  in  the  Belvidere  and  Vatican  would  produce  on  the 
young  artist.  The  whole  company,  which  consisted  of  the  prin- 
cipal Roman  nobility  and  strangers  of  distinction  then  in  Rome, 
were  interested  in  the  event ;  and  it  was  arranged,  in  the  course 


\ 
ARTS    AND    INTENTIONS    OF    FULTON.      53 

devoted    attachment,   that    real    affection,   which 
subsisted    in     a    most    extraordinary   degree    be- 

of  the  evening,  that,  on  the  following  morning,  they  should 
accompany  West  to  the  palaces.  At  the  hour  appointed,  the 
company  assembled ;  and  a  procession  consisting  of  upwards  of 
thirty  of  the  most  magnificent  equipages  in  the  capital  of  Chris- 
tendom, and  filled  with  some  of  the  most  erudite  characters  in 
Europe,  conducted  the  young  Quaker  to  view  the  master-pieces 
of  art.  It  was  agreed  that  the  APOLLO  should  be  first  submitted 
to  his  view,  because  it  was  the  most  perfect  work  among  all  the 
ornaments  of  Rome;  and,  consequently,  the  best  calculated  to 
produce  that  effect  which  the  company  were  anxious  to  witness. 
The  statue  then  stood  in  a  case,  enclosed  with  doors,  which  could 
be  so  opened  as  to  disclose  it  at  once  to  full  view.  West  was 
placed  in  the  situation  where  it  was  seen  to  the  most  advantage, 
and  the  spectators  arranged  themselves  on  each  side.  When  the 
keeper  threw  open  the  doors,  the  artist  felt  himself  surprised 
with  a  sudden  recollection  altogether  different  from  the  gratifica- 
tion which  he  had  expected;  and  without  being  aware  of  the 
force  of  what  he  said,  exclaimed  :  "  My  God  !  how  like  it  is  to 
a  young  Mohawk  warrior !"  The  Italians,  observing  his  sur- 
prise and  hearing  the  exclamation,  were  excessively  mortified  to 
find  that  the  god  of  their  idolatry  was  compared  to  a  savage. 
They  mentioned  their  chagrin,  and  asked  West  to  give  some 
more  distinct  explanation,  by  informing  them  what  sort  of  people 
the  Mohawk  Indians  were.  He  described  to  them  their  educa- 
tion, their  dexterity  with  the  bow  and  arrow,  the  admirable  elas- 
ticity of  their  limbs,  and  how  much  their  active  life  expands 
the  chest,  while  the  quick  breathing  of  their  speed  in  the  chase 
dilates  the  nostrils  with  that  apparent  consciousness  of  vigour 
which  is  so  nobly  depicted  in  the  APOLLO.  "  I  have  seen  them 

5* 


54          THE    LIFE    OF    ROBERT    FULTON. 

tween  Mr.  Barlow  and  Mr.  Fulton,  during  their 
lives." 

often,"  added  he,  "  standing  in  that  very  attitude,  and  pursuing 
with  an  intense  eye  the  arrow  which  they  had  just  discharged 
from  the  bow."  The  Italians  were  delighted  with  this  descrip- 
tive explanation,  and  allowed  that  a  better  criticism  had  never 
been  pronounced  on  the  merits  of  the  statue.  In  the  meantime 
a  number  of  Italians  had  gathered  round  them  to  look  at  Mr. 
West,  who,  they  had  heard,  was  an  American,  and  whom,  like 
Cardinal  Albani,  they  had  imagined  to  be  an  Indian,  come  to  study 
the  fine  arts  in  Rome ;  and  that  such  an  event  furnished  a  new 
and  magnificent  theme,  and  they  beheld  in  him  an  instrument 
chosen  by  Heaven  to  raise  in  America  the  taste  for  those  arts 
which  elevate  the  nature  of  man  —  an  assurance  that  his  country 
will  afford  a  refuge  to  knowledge  and  science  when,  in  the  old 
age  of  Europe,  they  shall  have  forsaken  her  shores. 

He  spent  four  years  in  Italy :  from  thence  he  went  to  France, 
visited  the  works  of  the  French  artists,  and  reached  London  in 
August,  1763,  where  he  became  the  companion  of  courtiers,  and 
obtained  the  patronage  and  friendship  of  princes.  In  1765,  his 
father  accompanied  Miss  Sewel,  of  Philadelphia,  across  the 
Atlantic,  to  whom  West  was  married.  She  was  a  lady  of  great 
merit,  and  in  London  she  was  called  the  Philadelphia  beauty. 
On  the  death  of  Sir  Joshua  Reynolds,  in  1791,  West  was 
elected  President  of  the  Royal  Academy,  which  office  he  held 
until  his  death.  In  1817,  he  lost  the  companion  with  whom  he 
had  lived  for  more  than  half  a  century,  and  in  the  month  of 
March,  1820,  this  extraordinary  man  breathed  his  last.  He  was 
buried  in  St.  Paul's  Cathedral,  London.  He  left  two  sons, 
Rembrandt  and  Benjamin. 

Mr.  West  painted  about  one  hundred  portraits,  and  finished 


ARTS  AND  INVENTIONS  OF  FULTON.   55 

Soon  after  Mr.  Fulton's  arrival  in  Paris,  Mr. 
Barlow  removed  to  his  own  hotel,  and  invited  Mr. 

upwards  of  two  hundred  drawings  with  the  PEN,  which  last,  for 
sublimity  of  conception,  are  among  the  finest  of  his  works :  so 
that  the  whole  of  his  pieces  amount  to  above  six  hundred.  Some 
of  them  are  larger  in  size  than  any  in  the  national  gallery  of  France, 
being  from  thirty  to  forty  feet  square. 

In  the  zenith  of  his  glory  he  was  beloved  as  an  amiable  and 
upright  man ;  and  in  the  memoirs  of  his  life,  written  by  himself, 
and  published  in  London,  by  John  Gait,  in  1816,  we  find  the 
following:  "Toivards  his  old  friend  William  Henry,  of  Lan- 
caster cifj/j  he  always  cherished  the  most  grateful  affection : 
Tie  was  the  first  who  urged  him  to  attempt  historical  composi- 
tion." 

And  this  grateful  acknowledgment  is  from  the  immortal  West, 
whose  works  were  composed  with  the  serious  ambition  and  hope 
of  illustrating  Scripture,  and  rendering  Gospel  truth  more  im- 
pressive. No  subject  seemed  to  him  too  lofty  for  his  pencil :  he 
considered  himself  worthy  to  follow  the  sublimest  flights  of  the 
prophets,  and  dared  to  limn  the  effulgence  of  God's  glory,  and 
the  terrors  of  the  Day  of  Judgment.  The  mere  list  of  his  works 
makes  us  shudder  at  human  presumption  :  "  Moses  receiving  the 
Law  on  Sinai/ '  "The  Descent  of  the  Holy  Ghost  on  the  Saviour 
in  the  Jordan/'  "  The  opening  of  the  Seventh  Seal  in  the  Reve- 
lations," "  Saint  Michael  and  his  Angels  casting  out  the  Great 
Dragon/'  "The  mighty  Angel  with  one  foot  on  Sea  and  the 
other  on  Earth,"  "  Death  on  the  Pale  Horse,"  (it  is  irresistibly 
fearful  to  see  the  triumphant  march  of  the  terrific  phantom,  and 
the  dissolution  of  all  that  Earth  is  proud  of  beneath  bis  tread  — 
war  and  peace,  sorrow  and  joy,  youth  and  age,  all  who  love  and 
all  who  hate,  seem  planet-struck !)  "  The  Crucifixion"  and  "  The 


56          THE    LIFE    OF    ROBERT    FULTON. 

Fulton  to  reside  with  him.  Mr.  Fulton  lived  seven 
years  in  Mr.  Barlow's  family,  during  which  time  he 
learned  the  French,  and  something  of  the  Italian 
and  German  languages.  He  also  studied  the  high 
mathematics,  physics,  chemistry,  and  perspective, 
and  acquired  that  science  which,  when  united  with 
his  uncommon  natural  genius,  gave  him  so  great  a 
superiority  over  many  of  those  who,  with  some 
talents,  but  without  any  sort  of  science,  have  pre- 
tended to  be  his  rivals.  Mr.  Fulton,  during  his 
residence  with  Mr.  Barlow,  projected  the  first 
panorama  that  was  exhibited  in  Paris.  This  was 
a  novelty  which  attracted  many  spectators,  and 
afforded  a  handsome  emolument. 

At  this  period,  an  honored  representative  of  one 
of  the  congressional  districts  of  New  Jersey  visited 
Mr.  Fulton.  On  the  wall  of  his  room  was  sketched 
distinctly  the  plan  of  a  steamboat.  "  There,"  said 
Fulton,  as  he  pointed  it  out  to  his  visitor,  "is  the 

Resurrection  !"  And  there  are  many  others  of  the  same  class. 
"With  such  magnificence  and  sublimity,  who  could  cope  ? 

"Old  paintings!   who  would  not  spare  them?  they  are  priceless  for 

their  age: 

0  spare  them !  they  are  sacred  to  the  dead ! 
They  tell  of  times,  of  happy  times,  in  years  long,  long  gone  by ; 
Of  dear  ones  that  have  ceased  to  live  but  in  the  memory : 
They  picture  many  a  bright,  bright  scene,  in  sunny  days  of  yore : 
0,  then,  spare  them !  they  are  a  priceless  store : 
They  are  the  only  links  that  bind  us  to  the  past." 


ARTS    AND    INVENTION'S    OF    FULTON.      57 

image  of  what  will  yet  traverse  the  river  and 
the  ocean."  And  wherever  he  went,  this  image  of 
the  future  he  carried  with  him.  It  was  written  in 
his  mind.  He  saw  it  as  he  walked  along,  he 
thought  of  it,  he  dreamed  of  it,  and  at  last  he 
acted  it.  The  taper  of  his  lone  room  illuminated 
the  world. 

Mr.  Fulton  s  Inventions. 

1. — In  1797,  Mr.  Fulton  invented  and  designed 
the  first  panorama  ever  exhibited  in  Paris,  which 
he  sold,  to  try  his  experiments  on  the  propulsion 
of  vessels  by  steam. 

2. — In  1794,  he  invented  and  received  letters 
patent  in  England  for  a  mill  for  sawing  marble; 
for  which  the  British  Society  for  the  "  Promotion 
of  the  Arts  and  Commerce"  presented  him  with 
their  thanks  and  an  honorary  medal. 

3. — In  1797,  he  likewise  invented  and  patented 
Double  Inclined-Planes  for  canals. 

The  DOUBLE  INCLINED-PLANE,  extending  from 
one  level  of  the  canal  to  the  other,  and  running 
into  each  canal  about  sixty  feet. 

A  TUB  or  cistern  to  move  in  a  pit,  into  which 
water  is  drawn  from  the  upper  canal,  in  order  to 
create  a  power  to  put  the  machine  in  motion.  A 
drum-wheel  over  the  pit,  which  gives  motion  to 
the  apparatus. 


58          THE    LIFE    OF    ROBERT    FULTON. 

Balance-chains  attached  to  the  tub. 

A  horizontal  wheel  at  the  bottom  of  the  plane : 
also  a  wheel  inclined  on  the  same  angle  as  the 
plane,  to  be  placed  at  the  top :  round  these  two 
wheels  the  chains  are  continued,  and  perform  a 
rotatory  movement.  A  shaft  with  two  wheels 
multiplied  movement,  to  convey  the  motion  from 
the  drum  to  the  inclined-wheel.  A  stopper  on  the 
plane  near  the  bridge,  to  prevent  the  boat  descend- 
ing until  the  man  is  ready.  Centrifugal  fans  regu- 
late the  movement. 

4. — Also  a  machine  for  spinning  flax. 

5. — Also  for  a  machine  for  making  ropes,  which 
can  stand  in  a  room  forty  feet  square,  arid  by  which 
the  rope-yarns  are  put  on  spools,  and  any  sized 
cordage  made  by  one  man. 

6. — He  likewise  obtained  letters  patent  for  a 
machine  and  contrivance  for  scooping  out  the  earth 
to  form  channels  for  canals  or  aqueducts,  afterwards 
much  used  in  England. 

7. — He  likewise  invented  and  erected  cast-iron 
bridges  and  cast-iron  aqueducts,  and  wooden  bridges, 
with  his  peculiar  mode  of  combining  the  timbers. 

8. — His  treatise  on  the  "  Improvement  of  Canal 
Navigation,"  in  quarto  form,  one  hundred  and 
twenty  pages,  containing  seventeen  elegantly  en- 
graved plates,  all  his  own  designs,  was  published 


ARTS    AND    INVENTIONS    OF    FULTON.      59 

in  London  in  1796.  He  there  exhibits  several 
kinds  of  boats  for  canals,  for  the  purpose  of  passing 
the  planes,  to  avoid  the  loss  of  time,  if  the  boats 
were  placed  on  any  kind  of  a  carriage. 

9. — His  invention  of  what  he  called  the  MARKET 

Or  PASSAGE  BOAT. 

10. — Another :  the  DESPATCH  BOAT,  for  the  pur- 
pose of  conveying  such  goods  as  require  expedition. 

11. — Another:  the  TRADER,  which  was  twenty 
feet  long,  four  wide,  two  feet  ten  inches  deep  in  the 
clear,  flat  at  the  bottom,  and  ends  like  a  box, 
bolted  and  screwed  and  stayed  at  the  corners,  with 
two  knees  or  ribs  inside,  exactly  above  the  wheels, 
and  about  five  feet  from  the  ends,  which  would  leave 
ten  feet  in  the  centre.  Two  keels  of  scantling, 
about  six  inches  square,  eighteen  inches  asunder, 
were  laid  along  the  centre  of  the  bottom  to 
receive  the  wheels.  The  wheels  from  six  to  ten 
inches  in  diameter,  two  feet  distance  from  the  ex- 
tremities—  axle  and  wheel  cast  in  one  piece,  and 
turned  at  the  shoulders  the  axle  moved  on  brass 
or  iron  steps. 

12. — The  MODE  OF  CROSSING  RIVERS  and  gaining 
height  at  the  same  time,  performing  the  double 
operation  of  an  aqueduct  and  locks. 

13. — A  PERPENDICULAR  Lift  to  pass  boats  by 
means  of  cranes  on  the  upper  side  of  the  upper 


60          THE    LIFE    OF    ROBERT    FULTON. 

canal :  behind  the  cranes  was  a  drum- wheel  of  two 
diameters  —  to  the  largest  the  crane  chains  were 
fastened.  To  the  crane  chains  a  cage  of  iron  was 
fixed  to  receive  the  boat :  thus  suspended,  the  cage 
and  a  tub  of  water  moved  alternately  between  the 
the  summit  and  lower  canals. 

14. — Another  mode  of  passing,  by  machinery,  a 
DESCENDING  TRADE,  and  saving  the  whole  of  the 
water  by  means  of  the  pumps. 

15. — His  invention  of  beautiful  air-guns — one  of 
which  he  sold  to  a  gentleman  of  Chester  county 
for  seventy-five  dollars.  He  experimented  with 
air-guns,  to  test  the  difference  between  the  force  of 
air  and  steam :  he  concluded  that  they  might  be 
considered  equal,  but  that  steam  was  the  most 
practicable. 

16.— The  "Cable  Cutter,"  to  cut  the  cables  of 
vessels  when  lying  at  anchor. 

17. — "Torpedoes:"  copper  cylinders  which  con- 
tained about  one  hundred  pounds  of  powder,  dis- 
charged by  a  gun-lock  and  clock-work,  by  which 
vessels  could  be  blown  to  atoms — the  explosion 
taking  place  according  to  the  time  fixed. 

18. — In  18Q7,  the  first  STEAM  PACKET  that  was 
ever  built,  or  sailed  against  wind  and  tide,  which 
was  called  the  "CLERMONT." 

19. — The   first  submarine   plunging-boat,   as   a 


ARTS    AND    INVENTIONS    OF    FULTON.      61 

terrible  engine  of  war,  constructed  for  carrying 
torpedoes  and  submarine  guns,  adapted  for  a  mode 
of  maritime  warfare  which  he  called  the  "torpedo 
war."  These  boats  had  a  main-sail  and  a  jib  like 
a  sloop :  the  masts  and  sails  could  be  taken  in,  and 
the  boat  dive  under  water  in  one  minute,  and  be 
rowed  and  steered  by  a  compass,  at  any  depth. 

Mr.  Fulton  was  thoroughly  acquainted  with  the 
pneumatic  machinery  by  which  the  fish  rise  to  the 
surface  or  lie  at  the  bottom  of  the  sea,  and  had 
imitated  this  natural  power  for  his  boat  by  some 
mechanical  contrivance — most  probably  through  a 
contraction  and  expansion  of  the  volume  of  the 
boat.  His  mode  of  propelling  the  boat  was  by  a 
spiral  sculler  in  the  stern,  turned  by  a  crank ;  and 
it  made  between  two  and  three  miles  an  hour. 
This  was  supposed  to  be  the  first  propeller  on  the 
Archimedean  plan.  This  "diving-boat,"  the  "NAU- 
TILUS," was  much  admired  at  Brest  for  the  science 
of  the  conception,  anr>  the  extraordinary  and  won- 
derful skill  in  the  execution. 

20. — Submarine  guns. 

21. — A  beautiful  steamship  called  the  "CAR  OF 
NEPTUNE,"  of  -295  tons. 

22.— In  1^11,  the  "PARAGON,"  of  331  tons. 

23.— In  1812,  the  "FIREFLY,"  of  118  tons. 

24.— In  1812,  the  Jersey  ferry-boat  "CAMDEN," 
6 


62          THE    LIFE    OF    ROBERT    FULTON. 

which  commenced  running  at  Philadelphia  May 

9,  1812,  from  Market  street  ferry,  upper  side,  to 
Springer's  ferry,  at  Camden,  New  Jersey. 

25.— In  1813,  the  "RICHMOND"  steamer,  of  370 
tons. 

26.— In  1813,  the  steamer  "WASHINGTON,"  of 
275  tons. 

27.— In  1813,  the  "YORK"  ferry-boat. 

28.— In  1813,  the  "  NASSAU"  ferry-boat. 

29.— Dec.,  1813,  the  steamboat  "VESUVIUS,"  140 
feet  keel,  400  tons  burden,  was  launched  at  Pitts- 
burgh, designed  as  a  regular  trader  between  the 
Falls  of  the  Ohio  and  New  Orleans ;  and,  August 

10,  1816,  with  a  rich  cargo,  bound  up  the  Missis- 
sippi,  was   destroyed    by   fire   off    New   Orleans. 
Luckily,  she  was  anchored  in  the  river,  whereby 
no  other  damage  was   suffered.     The   people   all 
saved.     Property  lost  estimated  at  $200,000. 

A  contract  was  made  by  the  U.  S.  Government 
with  Mr.  Fulton,  Dec.  27,  1814,  for  the  purpose 
of  employing  his  steamboats  "VESUVIUS,"  "^ETNA," 
"NEW  ORLEANS,"  and  "NATCHEZ,"  on  the  Mis- 
sissippi, in  transporting  troops  and  munitions 
of  war,  and  the  "BUFFALO"  steamboat  on  the 
Ohio. 

The  celebrated  battle  of  the  8th  of  January 
took  place  but  a  week  afterwards,  and  it  was  upon 


ARTS  AND  INTENTIONS  OF  FULTON.   63 

the  possession  of  the  "VESUVIUS,"  this  auxiliary 
instrument  of  war,  that  the  commanding  General 
relied,  in  his  anticipations  of  safety  to  the  city  and 
the  accomplishment  of  a  brilliant  victory;  and 
what  would  have  been  the  mighty  rivers  of  the 
West  without  Mr.  Fulton's  invention?  And  the 
records  of  our  country  exhibit  the  names  of  the 
two  celebrated  statesmen  and  presidents,  John 
Quincy  Adams  and  Andrew  Jackson,  certifying  to 
Congress  the  invaluable  services  rendered  to  the 
country  by  Mr.  Fulton,  at  the  great  battle  of  New 
Orleans.  Such  unquestioned  proofs  of  his  genius, 
and  the  application  of  his  steamships  to  the  best 
uses  of  his  country,  in  so  trying  an  emergency, 
entitle  him  to  the  gratitude  of  his  countrymen  and 
the  applause  of  the  world. 

30.— In  1813,  the  steamship  «  FULTON,"  of  327 
tons. 

31.— In  1814,  the  "  FULTON  THE  FIRST,"  the  first 
steam  vessel  of  war  in  the  world.  Jan.  5,  a  num- 
ber of  influential  and  patriotic  gentlemen  of  the 
city  of  New  York  assembled  at  the  house  of  Robert 
Fulton,  Esq.,  to  investigate  the  principles  and 
utility  of  a  steam  vessel  of  war  invented  by  that 
gentleman.  After  examining  the  plan  and  hearing 
the  reasons  submitted,  they  immediately  adopted 
measures  to  raise  $120,000,  for  the  purpose  of 


64    THE  LIFE  OF  EGBERT  FULTON. 

giving  a  trial  to  the  experiment,  proposing  to  build 
one  to  carry  24-long-pounders,  to  aid  in  the  defence 
of  that  city. 

Jan.  3,  1814,  the  committee,  Stephen  Decatur, 
Evans,  Perry,  Warrington,  Lewis  Jones,  etc.,  re- 
ported having  examined  the  MODEL  and  PLANS,  and 
that  it  was  among  the  best  interests  of  the  United 
States  to  carry  the  plan  into  immediate  execution. 

Oct.  31,  1814,  the  steam  frigate  "  FULTON  THE 
FIRST"  was  launched  at  New  York,  of  2475  tons 
burden.  She  was  cannon-proof.  She  carried  thirty 
32-pound  carronades,  and  two  100-pound  colum- 
biads,  to  fire  hot  shot.  The  gallant  Porter  com- 
manded her.  This  frigate  was  one  hundred  and 
forty-five  feet  deck,  fifty-five  feet  in  breadth,  and 
drew  eight  feet  water. 

Nov.  22,  she  was  moved  from  the  wharf  of 
Messrs.  Browns,  in  the  East  river,  to  the  works  of 
Mr.  Fulton,  on  the  North  river,  to  receive  her 
machinery— cost  $320,000.  On  the  4th  of  July 
she  made  a  passage  to  the  ocean  and  back,  fifty- 
three  miles,  in  eight  hours  and  twenty  minutes. 
She  was  used  by  the  United  States  as  a  receiving- 
ship  until  June  4,  1829,  when,  by  some  accident, 
her  magazine  blew  up,  killing  twenty-five  persons 
and  wounding  nineteen  others,  causing  the  com- 
plete destruction  of  the  vessel. 


ARTS  AND  INVENTIONS  OF  FULTON.   65 

32.— In  1815,  the  "OLIVE  BRANCH." 

33.— In  1815,  the  "EMPEROR  OF  RUSSIA,"  built 
August  10,  1815,  for  Russia,  where  she  was  under 
contract  to  be  on  the  1st  of  December — Captain 
Bunker,  commander.  This  grand  undertaking  was 
in  fulfilment  or  acceptance  of  a  contract  previously 
offered  to  Mr.  Fulton  by  the  Emperor  of  Russia, 
allowing  him  the  exclusive  navigation  of  steam- 
boats in  the  Russian  Empire  for  twenty-five  years. 
The  vessel  was  built  as  substantial  and  strong  as  a 
sloop-of-war,  and  no  doubt  was  entertained  by 
naval  men  of  the  practicability  of  the  attempt. 
The  "SAVANNAH"  was,  however,  afterwards  built, 
and  sailed  to  Russia. 

34. — In  1815,  the  "CHANCELLOR  LIVINGSTON,"  of 
526  tons. 

35. — Mr.  Fulton's  last  boat,  which  he  called  the 
"  MUTE." 

Perpetual  Motion. 

We  here  notice  an  occurrence  that  seems  to  show 
the  practical  knowledge  Mr.  Fulton  had  acquired 
in  mechanics,  and  to  mark  the  quickness  of  his 
apprehension,  as  related  by  Mr.  Colden : 

"  It  is  well  known  how  long  and  how  successfully  Red- 
heffer  had  deluded  the  Pennsylvanians  by  his  perpetual 
motion. 

"  Many  men  of  ingenuity,  learning,  and  science  had 
seen  the  machine :  some  had  written  on  the  subject  —  aot 

6*  E 


66          THE    LIFE    OF    ROBERT    FULTON. 

a  few  of  these  were  his  zealous  advocates  —  and  others, 
though  they  were  afraid  to  admit  that  he  had  made  a 
discovery  which  violated  what  were  believed  to  be  the 
established  laws  of  nature,  appeared  also  afraid  to  deny 
what  the  incessant  motion  of  his  wheels  and  weights 
seemed  to  prove.  These  contrived  ingenious  theories, 
which  were  hardly  less  wonderful  than  the  perpetual  mo- 
tion itself.  They  proposed  that  Redhefier  had  discovered 
a  means  of  developing  gradually  some  hidden  power, 
which,  though  it  could  not  give  motion  to  his  machine  for 
ever,  would  keep  it  going  for  some  time,  which  they  could 
not  pretend  to  determine. 

"  One  of  these  perpetual  motions  commenced  its  career 
in  New  York  city,  in  1813.  Mr.  Fulton  was  a  perfect 
unbeliever  in  Redheffer's  discovery;  and  although  hundreds 
were  daily  paying  their  dollar  to  see  the  wonder,  Mr.  Ful- 
ton could  not  be  prevailed  upon  to  follow  the  crowd.  After 
a  few  days,  however,  he  was  induced  by  some  of  his  friends 
to  visit  the  machine.  It  was  in  an  isolated  house  in  the 
suburbs  of  the  city. 

"  In  a  very  short  time  after  Mr.  Fulton  had  entered  the 
room  in  which  it  was  exhibited,  he  exclaimed :  ;  Why,  this 
is  a  crank  motion !'  His  ear  enabled  him  to  distinguish 
that  the  machine  was  moved  by  a  crank,  which  always 
gives  an  unequal  power,  and  therefore  an  unequal  velocity 
in  the  course  of  each  revolution ;  and  a  nice  and  practised 
ear  may  perceive  that  the  sound  is  not  uniform.  If  the 
machine  had  been  kept  in  motion  by  what  was  its  ostensi- 
ble moving  power,  it  must  have  had  an  equable  rotary  mo- 
tion, and  the  sound  would  have  been  always  the  same. 

"After  some  little  conversation  with  the  showman,  Mr. 
Fulton  did  not  hesitate  to  declare  that  the  machine  was  an 
imposition,  and  to  tell  the  gentleman  that  he  was  an  im- 
postor. 

"Notwithstanding  the  bluster  and  anger  which  these 
charges  excited,  he  assured  the  company  that  the  thing 
-was  a  cheat,  and  that,  if  they  would  support  him  in  the 


ARTS    AND    INTENTIONS    OF    FULTON.      67   x 

attempt,  he  would  detect  it,  at  the  risk  of  paying  any 
penalty  if  he  failed. 

"  Having  obtained  the  assent  of  all  who  were  present, 
he  began  by  knocking  away  some  very  thin  little  pieces  of 
lath,  which  appeared  to  be  no  part  of  the  machinery,  but 
to  go  from  the  frame  of  the  machine  to  the  wall  of  the 
room,  merely  to  keep  the  corner-posts  of  the  machine  steady. 

"  It  was  found  that  a  catgut  string  was  led  through  one 
of  these  laths  and  the  frame  of  the  machine,  to  the  head 
of  the  upright-shaft  of  a  principal  wheel ;  that  the  catgut 
was  conducted  through  the  wall,  and  along  the  floors  of 
the  second  story,  to  a  back  cockloft,  at  the  distance  of  a 
number  of  yards  from  the  room  which  contained  the  ma- 
chine, and  there  was  found  the  moving  power.  This  was 
a  poor  old  man  with  an  immense  beard,  and  all  the  appear- 
ance of  having  suffered  a  long  imprisonment ;  who,  when 
they  broke  in  upon  him,  was  unconscious  of  what  had  hap- 
pened below,  and  who,  while  he  was  seated  on  a  stool 
gnawing  a  crust,  was  with  one  hand  turning  a  crank. 

"The  proprietor  of  the  perpetual  motion  soon  disap- 
peared. The  mob  demolished  his  machine,  the  destruction 
of  which  immediately  put  a  stop  to  that  which  had  been,  for 
so  long  a  time  and  to  so  much  profit,  exhibited  in  Philadel- 
phia." 


CHAPTER  IV. 

EXTRACTS    FROM    THE    "COLUMBIAD." 


"Fulton  with  his  own  soul  the  canvas  warms, 
Creates,  inspires,  impassions  human  forms." 


WE  copy  the  following  from  the  "  COLUMBIAD,"  or 
"YisiON  OF  COLUMBUS,"  a  poem  in  quarto  form, 
containing  four  hundred  and  fifty  pages,  written 
by  Joel  Barlow,  and  dedicated  to  his  friend  Robert 
Fulton.  The  subject  of  this  splendid  patriotic 
poem  is  altogether  national  and  historical.  The 
elegant  plates  which  adorn  that  work  were  de- 
signed and  published  by  Mr.  Fulton,  at  an  expense 
of  $5,000 ;  and  the  original  paintings  form  a  part 
of  the  handsome  collection  which  he  left  to  his 
family.  The  work  is  dedicated  in  such  terms  as 
evince  the  strong  attachment  which  subsisted  be- 
tween these  men  of  genius. 

To  Robert  Fulton. 

"MY  DEAR  FRIEND: 

"  This  poem  is  your  property.     I  present  it  to  you  in 
manuscript,  that  you  may  bring  it  before  the  public  in  the 

(68) 


EXTRACTS    FROM    THE    "COLUMBIAD."      69 

manner  you  think  proper.    This  letter  will  explain  to  them 
my  motives  for  offering  you  such  a  testimony  of  my  attach-  ' 
ment  —  an  attachment  which  certainly  comprises  all  the 
good  affections  that  the  virtues  and  talents  of  one  man  can 
inspire  in  the  breast  of  another. 

"  Our  friendship  has  been  uncommonly  useful  to  us  both. 
Yet,  in  no  instance,  has  that  delicious  bond  of  union  been 
more  disinterested  than  between  you  and  me.  According 
to  the  common  course  of  nature,  you  have  longer  to  live 
than  I  have ;  and  though,  as  a  faithful  guardian,  you  would 
foster  an  orphan  of  mine,  yet,  as  an  adoptive  father,  your 
power  over  it  would  seem  to  be  more  complete. 

"  These  are  motives  of  affection  and  precaution,  but  I 
am  likewise  impelled  by  a  motive  of  justice.  My  poem, 
having  grown  up  under  your  eye,  much  benefited  by  your 
observations,  as  well  as  by  those  of  my  excellent  wife,  is 
to  come  forward,  I  find,  ornamented  l>y  your  taste.  You 
designated  the  subjects  to  be  painted  for  engravings ;  and, 
unable  to  convince  me  that  the  work  could  merit  such  ex- 
pensive and  splendid  decorations,  you  ordered  them  to  be 
executed  in  my  absence,  and  at  your  own  expense ;  so  that 
the  whole  work,  as  committed  to  the  publisher  and  estimated 
by  its  cost,  is  chiefly  yours  already ;  for  my  proportion 
has  cost  me  nothing  but  that  leisurely  and  exhilarating 
labour  in  which  I  always  delight. 

"  Take  it  then  to  yourself,  and  let  it  live,  as  long  as  it 
is  to  live,  a  monument  of  our  friendship :  you  cannot  need 
it  as  a  monument  of  your  fame.  Your  inventions  and  dis- 
coveries in  the  useful  arts,  the  precision  and  extension  of 
your  views  in  the  physical  sciences,  and  in  their  application 
to  the  advancement  of  society  and  morals,  will  render  it 
proper  that  the  lines  you  have  selected  and  written  under 
my  portrait,  should  be  transferred  to  yours.  Posterity 
will  vindicate  the  .right,  and  fix  them  in  their  place. 

"Continue  to  be  happy,  my  Fulton,  as  your  various 
merit  entitles  you  to  be.  Continue  to  enhance  that  merit 
by  well-directed  labours  for  the  good  of  mankind;  and 


70    THE  LIFE  OF  ROBERT  FULTON. 

since  this  address  will  not  outlast  the  poem  to  which  it  is 
prefixed,  I  leave  you  to  take  some  other  method  to  unite 
my  memory  more  durably  with  your  own. 

"JOEL  BARLOW." 

Philadelphia,  MAY  1,  1807. 


HESPER,  a  brilliant  planet,  called  the  evening-star,  assumes 
the  figure  of  a  beautiful  young  man,  and  appears  to 
COLUMBUS  in  prison,  as  his  guardian  genius. 

"  Thus  mourn'd  the  hapless  man :  a  thundering  sound 
Roll'd  through  the  shuddering  walls,  and  shook  the 

ground : 

O'er  all  the  dungeon,  where  black  arches  bend, 
The  roofs  unfold,  and  streams  of  light  descend : 
The  growing  splendour  fills  the  astonish'd  room, 
And  gales  ethereal  breathe  a  glad  perfume. 
Robed  in  the  radiance  moves  a  form  serene, 
Of  human  structure,  but  of  heavenly  mien : 
Near  to  the  prisoner's  couch  he  takes  his  stand, 
And  waves,  in  sign  of  peace,  his  holy  hand. 
Tall  rose  his  stature,  youth's  endearing  grace 
Adorn'd  his  limbs  and  brighten'd  in  his  face ; 
Loose  o'er  his  locks  the  star  of  evening  hung, 
And  sounds  melodious  moved  his  cheerful  tongue. 

4  Rise,  trembling  chief !  to  scenes  of  rapture  rise  ! 
This  voice  awaits  thee  from  the  western  skies : 
Indulge  no  longer  that  desponding  strain, 
Nor  count  thy  toils,  nor  deem  thy  virtues  vain. 
Thou  seest  in  me  the  guardian  power  who  keeps 
The  new-found  world  that  skirts  Atlantic  deeps. 
Hesper  my  name,  my  seat  the  brightest  throne 
In  night's  whole  heaven,  my  sire  the  living  sun. 


er  run 


EXTRACTS    FROM    THE    "COLUMBIAD."      71 

My  brother  Atlas,  with  his  name  divine, 
Stamp'd  the  wild  wave  :  the  solid  coast  is  mine. 
This  hand,  which  formed,  and,  in  the  tides  of  time, 
Laves  and  improves  the  meliorating  clime, 
Which  taught  thy  prow  to  cleave  the  trackless  way, 
And  hailed  thee  first  in  occidental  day, 
To  all  thy  worth  shall  vindicate  thy  claim, 
And  raise  up  nations  to  revere  thy  name.'  ' 


CAPAC  and  OELLA  instructing  the  Peruvians. 

"  Now  to  yon  Southern  cities  turn  thy  view, 
And  mark  the  rival  seats  of  rich  Peru. 
Here  reigns  a  prince  whose  heritage  proclaims 
A  long,  bright  lineage  of  imperial  names ; 
Where  the  brave  roll  of  Incas  love  to  trace 
The  distant  father  of  their  realm  and  race  — 
Immortal  Capac.     He,  in  youthful  pride, 
With  young  Oella,  his  illustrious  bride, 
Announc'd  their  birth  divine :  a  race  begun 
From  heaven  —  the  children  of  their  god  the  sun 
By  him  sent  forth  a  polished  state  to  frame, 
Crush  the  fiend  gods  that  human  victims  claim, 
With  cheerful  rites  their  pure  devotions  pay 
To  the  bright  orb  that  gives  the  changing  day. 
On  this  great  plan,  as  children  of  the  skies, 
They  plied  their  arts,  and  saw  their  hamlets  rise. 
First  of  their  works,  and  sacred  to  their  fame, 
Yon  proud  metropolis  received  its  name. 
Cusco,  the  seat  of  states,  in  peace  design'd 
To  reach  o'er  earth,  and  civilize  mankind. 
Succeeding  sovereigns  spread  their  limits  far, 
Tamed  every  tribe,  and  soothed  the  rage  of  war, 


72          THE    LIFE    OF    EGBERT    FULTON. 

Till  Quito  bowed,  and  all  the  Heliac  zone 
Felt  the  same  sceptre,  and  confirm'd  the  throne. 
They  form  to  different  arts  the  hand  of  toil  — 
To  whirl  the  spindle,  and  to  spade  the  soil, 
Adore  their  persons,  robed  in  shining  white, 
Receive  their  laws,  and  leave  each  horrid  rite, 
Build  with  assisting  hands  the  golden  throne, 
And  hail  and  bless  the  sceptre  of  the  sun." 

Action  of  the  INCA  CAP&C.  A  general  invasion  of  his 
dominions  threatened  ly  the  mountain  savages.  ROCHA, 
the  INCA'S  son,  sent  with  a  few  companions  to  offer  terms 
of  peace.  Character  and  speech  of  ZAMOR,  their  chief. 
Capture  of  ROCHA  and  his  companions.  Sacrifice  of 
the  latter.  The  savage  armies  march  down  the  moun- 
tains to  Peru.  The  Peruvians  march  in  haste  out  of 
the  city,  and  engage  the  savages.  Exploits  of  CAPAC. 
Death  of  ZAMOR. 

"  He  ceased ;  and  where  the  savage  leader  lay 
Weltering  in  gore,  directs  his  eager  way, 
Unwraps  the  tiger's  hide,  and  strives  in  vain 
To  close  the  wound,  and  mitigate  the  pain ; 
And  while  compassion  for  a  foe  distress'd 
Mix'd  with  reproach,  he  thus  the  chief  address'd : 
'  Too  long,  proud  prince,  thy  fearless  heart  withstood 
Our  sacred  arms,  and  braved  the  living  God : 
His  sovereign  will  commands  all  feuds  to  cease  — 
His  realm  is  concord  and  his  pleasure  peace : 
This  copious  carnage,  spreading  far  the  plain, 
Insults  his  bounties,  but  confirms  his  reign. 
Enough  !  't  is  past :  thy  parting  breath  demands 
The  last  sad  office  from  my  yielding  hands. 
To  share  thy  pains  and  feel  thy  hopeless  woe, 
Are  rights  ungrateful  to  a  fallen  foe ; 


OFStGNED   BY  FULTON. 


L.N.  ROSENTHAL  LITK.  PMIL* 


(B  i  s  # 


EXTRACTS  FROM  THE  "COLUMBI  AD."   73 

Yet  rest  in  peace ;  and  know,  a  chief  so  brave, 
When  life  departs,  shall  find  an  honor'd  grave  : 
Myself  in  princely  pomp  thy  tomb  shall  rear, 
And  tribes  unborn  thy  hapless  fate  declare.' 

6  Insult  me  not  with  tombs  !'  the  monster  cried : 
'  Let  no  curs'd  earth  conceal  this  gory  head, 
Nor  songs  proclaim  the  dreadful  Zamor  dead.' 
Thus  pour'd  the  vengeful  chief  his  fainting  breath, 
And  lost  his  utterance  in  the  gasp  of  death. 

Vision  confined  to  North  America.  Congress1  endeavours 
to  arrest  the  violence  of  England  compared  with  those 
of  the  Grenius  of  Rome  to  dissuade  CAESAR  from  passing 
the  Rubicon. 

"  The  virtuous  delegates  behold  with  pain 
The  hostile  Britons  hovering  o'er  the  main ; 
Lament  the  strife  that  bids  two  worlds  engage, 
And  blot  their  annals  with  fraternal  rage : 
Two  worlds  in  one  broad  State  !  whose  bounds  bestride, 
Like  Heaven's  blue  arch,  the  vast  Atlantic  tide : 
By  language,  laws,  and  liberty  combined, 
Great  nurse  of  thought,  example  to  mankind. 
Columbia  rears  her  warning  voice  in  vain, 
Brothers  to  brothers  call  across  the  main : 
Britannia's  patriots  lend  a  listening  ear, 
But  kings  and  courtiers  push  their  mad  career : 
Dissension  raves,  the  sheathless  falchions  glare, 
And  earth  and  ocean  tremble  at  the  war. 
Thus  with  stern  brow,  as  worn  by  cares  of  state, 
His  bosom  big  with  dark  unfolding  fate, 
High  o'er  his  lance  the  sacred  eagle  spread, 
And  earth's  whole  crown  still  resting  on  his  head, 

7 


74  THE    LIFE    OF    ROBERT    FULTOX. 

Rome's  hoary  Genius  rose,  and  mournful  stood 

On  roaring  Rubicon's  forbidden  flood, 

When  Caesar's  ensigns  swept  the  Alpine  air, 

Led  their  long  legions  from  the  Gallic  war, 

Paused  on  the  opposing  bank  with  wings  unfurl'd, 

And  waved  portentous  o'er  the  shuddering  world. 

The  god,  with  outstretch'd  arm  and  awful  look, 

Call'd  the  proud  victor,  and  prophetic  spoke : 

'Arrest,  my  son,  thy  parricidious  hate, 

Pass  not  the  stream,  nor  stab  my  filial  State  — 

Stab  not  thyself,  thy  friends,  thy  total  kind, 

And  worlds  and  ages  in  one  State  combined.' 

The  chief,  regardless  of  the  warning  god, 

Rein'd   his   rude    steed,    and    headlong    pass'd    the 

flood, 

Cried,  '  Farewell,  peace  !'  took  fortune  for  his  guide, 
And  o'er  his  country  pour'd  the  slaughtering  tide. 

High  on  the  foremost  seat,  in  living  light, 
Resplendent  Randolph  caught  the  world's  full  sight. 

Sage  Franklin  next  arose,  with  cheerful  mien, 
And  smiled  unruffled  o'er  the  solemn  scene : 
His  locks  of  age  a  various  wreath  embraced, 
Palm  of  all  arts  that  e'er  a  mortal  graced ; 
Beneath  him  lay  the  sceptre  kings  had  borne, 
And  the  tame  thunder  from  the  tempest  torn. 
Crowds  rose  to  reason,  while  their  accents  rung, 
And  INDEPENDENCE  thunder'd  from  their  tongue  ! 

Now  the  broad  field,  as  untaught  warriors'  shade, 
The  sun's  glad  beam  their  shining  arms  display'd ; 
High  waved  great  WASHINGTON  his  glittering  steel, 
Bade  the  long  train  in  circling  order  wheel, 
And,  while  the  banner'd  youths  around  him  press'd, 
With  voice  rever'd  he  thus  the  ranks  address'd : 


l.N.ROSENTHAl'S   LITH.PHU' 


BjBILJJEILTT  IPRE8DBIW* 


"rM  I  IPTOOKi 


EXTRACTS    FROM    THE    "COLUMBIAD."      75 

'Ye  generous  bands,  behold  the  task  —  to  save 
Or  yield  whole  nations  to  an  instant  grave. 
Rise  then  to  war  !  to  timely  vengeance  rise ! 
Ere  the  grey  sire,  the  helpless  infant  dies : 
Look  thro'  the  world,  see  endless  years  descend ; 
What  realms,  what  ages,  on  your  arms  depend ! 
Reverse  the  fate,  avenge  the  insulted  sky ; 
Move  to  the  work  :  we  conquer  or  we  die  !' ' 

British  cruelty   to   American  prisoners.      Prison-ship. 
Story  of  LUCINDA. 

"  But  of  all  tales  that  war's  black  annals  hold, 
The  darkest,  foulest,  still  remains  untold ; 
New  modes  of  torture  wait  the  shameful  strife, 
And  Britain  wantons  in  the  waste  of  life. 

Cold-blooded  CRUELTY  !  first  fiend  of  hell ! 
Ah !  think  no  more  with  savage  hordes  to  dwell : 
Quit  the  Caribbean  tribes  who  eat  their  slain, 
Fly  that  grim  gang,  the  inquisitors  of  Spain, 
Boast  not  thy  deeds  in  Moloch's  shrines  of  old, 
Leave  Barbary's  pirates  to  their  blood-bought  gold, 
Let  Holland  steal  her  victims,  force  them  o'er 
To  toils  and  death  on  Java's  morbid  shore ; 
Some  cloak,  some  color,  all  these  crimes  may  plead — 
'T  is  avarice,  passion,  blind  religion's  deed ; 
But  Britons  here,  in  this  fraternal  broil, 
Grave,  cool,  deliberate,  in  thy  service  toil. 

Come  then,  curs'd  goddess,  where  thy  votaries  reign ; 
Inhale  their  incense  from  the  land  and  main : 
Come  to  New  York,  their  conquering  arms  to  greet, 
Brood  o'er  their  camp,  and  breathe  along  their  fleet, 
See  the  black  PRISON-SHIP'S  expanding  womb 
Impested  thousands,  quick  and  dead,  entomb. 


76          THE    LIFE    OF    ROBERT    FULTON". 

Bark  after  bark  the  captured  seamen  bear, 
Transboard  and  lodge  thy  silent  victims  there : 
A  hundred  scows,  from  all  the  neighbouring  shore, 
Spread  the  dull  sail  and  ply  the  constant  oar, 
Waft  wrecks  of  armies  from  the  well-fought  field, 
And  famish'd  garrisons  who  bravely  yield : 
They  mount  the  hulk,  and,  cramm'd  within  the  cave, 
Hail  their  last  house  —  their  living,  floating  grave. 

She  comes,  the  fiend  !  her  grinning  jaws  expand, 
Her  brazen  eyes  cast  lightning  o'er  the  strand, 
Her  wings  like  thunder-clouds  the  welkin  sweep, 
Brush  the  tall  spires  and  shade  the  shuddering  deep ; 
She  gains  the  deck,  displays  her  wonted  store, 
Her  cords  and  scourges  wet  with  prisoners'  gore ; 
Gripes,    pincers,   thumbscrews    spread    beneath   her 

feet, 

Slow  poisonous  drugs  and  loads  of  putrid  meat ; 
Disease  hangs  drizzling  from  her  slimy  locks, 
And  hot  contagion  issues  from  her  box. 

v/er  the  closed  hatches  ere  she  takes  her  place, 
She  moves  the  massy  planks  a  little  space, 
Opes  a  small  passage  to  the  cries  below, 
That  feast  her  soul  on  messages  of  woe ; 
There  sits  with  gaping  ear  and  changeless  eye, 
Drinks  every  groan  and  treasures  every  sigh ; 
Sustains  the  faint,  their  miseries  to  prolong, 
Revives  the  dying  and  unnerves  the  strong. 

But  as  the  infected  mass  resign  their  breath, 
She  keeps  with  joy  the  register  of  death. 
As  toss'd  thro'  port-holes  from  the  encumber'd  cave, 
Corpse  after  corpse  fall  dashing  in  the  wave  — 
Corpse  after  corpse,  for  days  and  months  and  years, 
The  tide  bears  off,  and  still  its  current  clears ; 


EXTRACTS    FROM    THE    "COLUMBIAD."      77 

At  last,  o'erloaded  with  the  putrid  gore, 

The  slime-clad  waters  thicken  round  the  shore. 

Green  ocean's  self,  that  oft  his  wave  renews, 

That  drinks  whole  fleets  with  all  their  battling  crews, 

That  laves,  that  purifies  the  earth  and  sky, 

Yet  ne'er  before  resign'd  his  natural  dye, 

Here  blushes,  purples  for  the  race  he  bore 

To  rob  and  ravage  this  unconquer'd  shore  : 

The  scaly  nations,  as  they  travel  by, 

Catch  the  contagion,  sicken,  gasp,  and  die." 

Murder  of  LUCINDA  (Miss  MACREA.) 

"  One  deed  shall  tell  what  fame  great  Albion  draws 
From  these  auxiliars  in  her  barbarous  cause : 
Lucinda's  fate  !  the  tale,  ye  nations,  hear  ! 
Eternal  ages,  trace  it  with  a  tear ! 
Long  from  the  rampart,  thro'  the  embattled  field, 
She  spied  her  Hartley  where  his  column  wheel'd, 
Traced  him  with  steadfast  eye  and  tortured  breast, 
That  heaved  in  concert  with  his  dancing  crest ; 
And  oft,  with  head  advanced  and  hand  outspread, 
Seem'd  from  her  love  to  ward  the  flying  lead ; 
Till,  dimm'd  by  distance  and  the  gathering  cloud, 
At  last  he  vanish'd  in  the  warrior  crowd. 
She  thought  he  fell ;  and,  wild  with  fearless  air, 
She  left  the  camp  to  brave  the  woodland  war, 
Made  a  long  circuit,  all  her  friends  to  shun, 
And  wander'd  wide  beneath  the  falling  sun ; 
Then  veering  to  the  field,  the  pickets  pass'd, 
To  gain  the  hillock  where  she  miss'd  him  last. 
Fond  maid,  he  rests  not  there :  from  finished  fight 
He  sought  the  camp,  and  closed  the  rear  of  flight. 
7* 


78          THE    LIFE    OF    EGBERT    FULTON. 

He  hurries  to  his  tent  —  0  rage  !  despair  ! 
No  glimpse,  no  tidings  of  the  frantic  fair ; 
Save  that  some  carmen,  as  a-camp  they  drove, 
Had  seen  her  crossing  for  the  western  grove : 
Faint  with  fatigue,  and  choked  with  burning  thirst, 
Forth  from  his  friends  with  bounding  leap  he  burst, 
Vaults  o'er  the  palisade  with  eyes  on  flame, 
And  fills  the  welkin  with  Lucinda's  name  — 
Swift  thro'  the  wildwood  paths  frenetic  springs  — 
Lucinda  !  Lucinda  !  thro'  the  wildwood  rings. 
All  night  he  wanders :  barking  wolves  alone, 
And  screaming  night-birds,  answer  to  his  moan ; 
For  war  had  rous'd  them  from  their  savage  den  — 
They  scent  the  field,  they  snuff  the  walks  of  men. 

The  fair  one,  too,  of  every  aid  forlorn, 
Had  rav'd  and  wander'd,  till  officious  morn 
Awak'd  the  Mohawks  from  their  short  repose, 
To  glean  the  plunder  ere  their  comrades  rose. 
Two  Mohawks  met  the  maid — historian,  hold ! 
Poor  human  nature  !  must  thy  shame  be  told  ? 
Where  then  that  proud  preeminence  of  birth, 
Thy  moral  sense?  —  the  brightest  boast  of  earth. 
Had  but  the  tiger  changed  his  heart  for  thine, 
Could  rocks  their  bowels  with  that  heart  combine, 
Thy  tear  had  gush'd,  thy  hand  relieved  her  pain, 
And  led  Lucinda  to  her  lord  again. 

She    starts :     with    eyes    upturned    and    fleeting 

breath, 

In  their  raised  axes  views  her  instant  death, 
Spreads  her  white  hands  to  heaven  in  frantic  prayer, 
Then  runs  to  grasp  their  knees,  and  crouches  there. 
Her  hair,  half-lost  along  the  shrubs  she  pass'd, 
Rolls  in  loose  tangles  round  her  lovely  waist ; 


L  N.RQSENTKAL'S    LITH.PMH 


EMI  i    m 


IE  n  OF    L  y  e  c 


EXTRACTS    FROM    THE    "COLUMBI  AD ."      79 

Her  kerchief  torn  betrays  the  globes  of  snow 

That  heave  responsive  to  her  weight  of  woe. 

Does  all  this  eloquence  suspend  the  knife  ? 

Does  no  superior  bribe  contest  her  life  ? 

There  does :  the  scalps  by  British  gold  are  paid  — 

A  long-hair'd  scalp  adorns  that"  heavenly  head  ; 

And  comes  the  sacred  spoil  from  friend  or  foe, 

No  marks  distinguish,  and  no  man  can  know. 

With  calculating  pause  and  demon  grin, 

They  seize  her  hands,  and  thro'  her  face  divine 

Drive  the  descending  axe :  the  shriek  she  sent 

Attain'd  her  lover's  ear  —  he  thither  bent 

With  all  the  speed  his  wearied  limbs  could  yield, 

Whirl' d  his  keen  blade,  and  stretch'd  upon  the  field 

The  yelling  fiends  ;  who  there  disputing  stood 

Her  gory  scalp,  their  horrid  prize  of  blood. 

He  sunk  delirious  on  her  lifeless  clay, 

And  pass'd,  in  starts  of  sense,  the  dreadful  day. 

Are  these  thy  trophies,  Carleton  ?  these  the  swords 

Thy  hand  unsheath'd  and  gave  the  savage  hordes, 

Thy  boasted  friends,  by  treaties  brought  from  far, 

To  aid  thy  master  in  his  murderous  war  ?" 

Capture  of  CORNWALLIS  and  his  army.     Their  banners 
furled  and  muskets  piled  on  the  field  of  battle. 

"  Cornwallis  first,  their  late  all-conquering  lord, 
Bears  to  the  victor  chief  his  conquer'd  sword, 
Presents  the  burnish'd  hilt,  and  yields  with  pain 
The  gift  of  kings,  here  brandish'd  long  in  vain. 
Then  bow  their  hundred  banners,  trailing  far 
Their  wearied  wings  from  all  the  skirts  of  war. 
Battalion'd  infantry  and  squadron'd  horse, 
Dash  the  silk  tassel  and  the  golden  torse ; 


80          THE    LIFE    OF    ROBERT    FULTON. 

Flags  from  the  forts  and  ensigns  from  the  fleet 
Roll  in  the  dust,  and  at  Columbia's  feet 
Prostrate  the  pride  of  thrones :  they  firm  the  base 
Of  freedom's  temple,  while  her  arms  they  grace. 
Here  Albion's  crimson  cross  the  soil  o'erspreads, 
Her  lion  crouches  and  her  thistle  fades, 
Indignant  Erin  rues  her  trampled  lyre, 
Brunswick's  pale  steed  forgets  his  foamy  fire, 
Proud  Ilessia's  castle  lies  in  dust  o'erthrown, 
And  venal  Anspach  quits  her  broken  crown. 

Long  trains  of  wheeled  artillery  shade  the  shore, 
Quench  their  blue  matches  and  forget  to  roar ; 
Along  the  encumber'd  plain  thick  planted  rise 
High  stacks  of  muskets  glittering  to  the  skies, 
Numerous  and  vast.     As  when  the  toiling  swains 
Heap  their  whole  harvest  on  the  stubbly  plains, 
Gerb  after  gerb  the  bearded  shock  expands, 
Shocks  rang'd  in  rows  hill  high  the  burden'd  lands : 
The  joyous  master  numbers  all  the  piles, 
And  o'er  his  well-earned  crop  complacent  smiles ; 
Such  growing  heaps  this  iron  harvest  yield, 
So  tread  the  victors  this,  their  final  field. 

Triumphant  WASHINGTON,  with  brow  serene, 
Regards  unmov'd  the  exhilarating  scene, 
Weighs  in  his  balanced  thought  the  silent  grief 
That  sinks  the  bosom  of  the  fallen  chief, 
(  With  all  the  joy  that  laurel  crowns  bestow, 
A  world  reconquer'd  and  a  vanquished  foe. 

He  bids  brave  LINCOLN  guide  with  modest  air 
The  last  glad  triumph  of  the  finish'd  war ; 
Who  sees  once  more  two  armies  shade  one  plain, 
The  mighty  victors  and  the  captive  train." 


EXTRACTS    FROM    THE    "COLUMBIAD."      81 


The  danger  of  losing  LIBERTY  by  inattention,  illustrated 
in  the  Rape  of  the  Grolden  Fleece. 

"  Think  not,  my  friends,  the  patriot's  task  is  done, 
Or  freedom  safe,  because  the  battle's  won. 
Unnumber'd  foes,  far  different  arms  that  wield, 
Wait  the  weak  moment  when  she  quits  her  shield, 
To  plunge  in  her  bold  breast  the  insidious  dart, 
Or  pour  keen  poison  round  her  thoughtless  heart. 
Perhaps  they  '11  strive  her  votaries  to  divide, 
From  their  own  veins  to  draw  the  vital  tide ; 
Perhaps,  by  cooler  calculation  shown, 
Create  materials  to  construct  a  throne, 
Dazzle  her  guardians  with  the  glare  of  state, 
Corrupt  with  power,  with  borrowed  pomp  inflate, 
Bid  thro'  the  land  the  soft  infection  creep, 
Whelm  all  her  sons  in  one  lethargic  sleep, 
Crush  her  vast  empire  in  its  brilliant  birth, 
And  chase  the  goddess  from  the  ravaged  earth. 
The  dragon  thus,  that  watch'd  the  Colchian  fleece, 
Foil'd  the  fierce  warriors  of  wide-plundering  Greece ; 
But  the  sly  priestess  brings  her  opiate  spell, 
Soft  charms  that  hush  the  triple  hound  of  hell — 
A  settling  tremor  through  his  folds  extends, 
His  crest  contracts,  his  rainbow  neck  unbends, 
O'er  all  his  hundred  hoops  the  languor  crawls, 
Each  curve  develops,  every  volute  falls, 
His  broad  back  flattens  as  he  spreads  the  plain, 
And  sleep  consigns  him  to  his  lifeless  reign. 
Flush'd  at  the  sight,  the  pirates  seize  the  spoil, 

And  ravaged  Colchis  rues  the  insidious  toil." 
F 


82          THE    LIFE    OF    ROBERT    FULTON. 


Initiation  to  the  mysteries  of  Isis.     Progress  of  the  Arts 
and  Sciences. 

"  Unfold,  thou  Memphian  dungeon  !  there  began 
The  lore  of  mystery,  the  mask  of  man : 
The  bold  initiate  takes  his  awful  stand, 
A  thin  pale  taper  trembling  in  his  hand ; 
Long  ladders  heaved  on  end,  with  banded  eyes 
He  mounts,  and  mounts,  and  seems  to  gain  the  skies ; 
Then  backward  falling,  tranc'd  with  deadly  fright, 
Finds  his  own  feet,  and  stands  restored  to  light. 
Here  all  dread  sights  of  torture  round  him  rise  : 
Lash'd  on  a  wheel,  a  whirling  felon  flies ; 
A  wretch,  with  members  chain'd  and  liver  bare, 
Writhes  and  disturbs  the  vulture  feasting  there ; 
One  strains  to  roll  his  rock,  recoiling  still ; 
One,  stretch'd  recumbent  o'er  a  limpid  rill, 
Burns  with  devouring  thirst :  his  starting  eyes, 
Swell'd  veins,  and  frothy  lips,  and  piercing  cries, 
Accuse  the  faithless  eddies,  as  they  shrink 

And  keep  him  panting  still — still  bending  o'er  the  brink. 
***** 

GENIUS  assumes  new  force  and  elevates  his  pride, 
Calls  up  DISCOVERY,  with  her  tube  and  scroll, 
And  points  the  trembling  magnet  to  the  pole. 

Rome,  Athens,  Memphis,  Tyre  !  had  you  but  known 
This  glorious  triad,  now  familiar  grown, 
The  PRESS,  the  MAGNET  faithful  to  its  pole, 
And  earth's  own  MOVEMENT  round  her  steadfast  goal, 
Ne'er  had  your  science,  from  that  splendid  height, 
Sunk  in  her  strength,  nor  seen  succeeding  night." 


ES1GNED   BY  FULTON . 


LN  ROSENTH AL.  LI7H   PHIL* 


IFC^ITDOIM  TTO  TTME 


DESIGNED  BY  FULTON 


(CXF3F3EUEiJriIIID)IC 


EXTRACTS    FROM    THE    "COLUMBI  AD ."      83 

The  final  Resignation  of  Prejudices. 

u  So,  from  all  tracts  of  earth,  this  gathering  throng 
In  ships  and  chariots  shape  their  course  along, 
Reach  with  unwonted  speed  the  place  assign'd 
To  hear  and  give  the  counsels  of  mankind. 

South  of  the  sacred  mansion  first  resort 
The  assembled  sires,  and  pass  the  spacious  court. 
Here  in  his  porch  earth's  figur'd  GENIUS  stands, 
Truth's  mighty  mirror  poising  in  his  hands  : 
Graved  on  the  pedestal  and  chased  in  gold, 
Man's  noblest  arts  their  symbol  forms  unfold, 
His  tillage  and  his  trade ;  with  all  the  store 
Of  wondrous  fabrics  and  of  useful  lore : 
Labors  that  fashion  to  his  sovereign  sway 
Earth's  total  powers  —  her  soil,  and  air,  and  sea; 
Force  them  to  yield  their  fruits  at  his  known  call, 
And  bear  his  mandates  round  the  rolling  ball. 
Beneath  the  footstool  all  destructive  things, 
The  mask  of  priesthood  and  the  mace  of  kings, 
Lie  trampled  in  the  dust ;  for  here  at  last 
Fraud,  folly,  error,  all  their  emblems  cast. 
Each  envoy  here  unloads  his  wearied  hand 
Of  some  old  idol  from  his  native  land ; 
One  flings  a  pagod  on  the  mingled  heap, 
One  lays  a  crescent,  one  a  cross  to  sleep ; 
Swords,  sceptres,  mitres,  crowns,  globes,  and  stars, 
Codes  of  false  fame  and  stimulants  to  wars, 
Sink  in  the  settling  mass  —  since  guile  began 
These  are  the  agents  of  the  woes  of  man. 

*  Here,  then,'  said  Hesper,  with  a  blissful  smile, 

*  Behold  the  fruits  of  thy  long  years  of  toil. 
To  yon  bright  borders  of  Atlantic  day 
Thy  swelling  pinions  led  the  trackless  way, 


84          THE    LIFE    OF    ROBERT    FULTON. 

And  taught  mankind  such  useful  deeds  to  dare, 
To  trace  new  seas  and  happy  nations  rear ; 
Till  by  fraternal  hands  their  sails  unfurl'd 
Have  waved  at  last  in  Union  o'er  the  world. 

Then  let  thy  steadfast  soul  no  more  complain 
Of  dangers  braved  and  griefs  endured  in  vain, 
Of  courts  insidious,  envy's  poison'd  stings, 
The  loss  of  empire  and  the  frown  of  kings  ; 
While  these  broad  views  thy  better  thoughts  compose 
To  spurn  the  malice  of  insulting  foes ; 
And  all  the  joys  descending  ages  gain, 
Kepay  thy  labours  and  remove  thy  pain.'  " 


CHAPTER  V. 

INLAND    NAVIGATION,    CIVIL    ENGINEERING, 
AND    STATESMANSHIP. 


"Nor  seas  alone  the  countless  barks  behold, 
Earth's  inland  realms  their  naval  paths  unfold. 
Her  plains,  long  portless,  now  no  more  complain 
Of  useless  rills  and  fountains  nursed  in  vain : 
CANALS  curve  thro'  them  many  a  liquid  line, 
Prune  their  wild  streams,  their  lakes  and  oceans  join. 
New  York  resigns  her  stagnant  world  of  fen, 
Allures,  rewards  the  cheerful  toils  of  men, 
Leads  their  long  new-made  rivers  round  her  reign, 
Drives  off  the  putrid  air,  and  waves  her  golden  grain, 
Feeds  a  whole  nation  from  her  cultured  shore, 
Where  not  a  bird  could  skim  the  skies  before. 

From  Mohawk's  mouth,  far  westing  with  the  sun, 
Thro'  all  the  midlands  recent  channels  run, 
Tap  the  redundant  lakes,  the  broad  hills  brave, 
Aud  HUDSON  marry  with  MISSOURI'S  wave. 
From  dim  SUPERIOR,  whose  uncounted  sails 
Shade  his  full  seas  and  bosom  all  his  gales, 
New  paths  unfolding  seek  Mackenzie's  tide, 
And  towns  and  empires  rise  along  their  side; 
Free  crystal  highways  all  his  north  adorn, 
Like  coruscations  from  the  boreal  morn. 
Proud  MISSISSIPPI,  tamed  and  taught  his  road, 
Flings  forth  irriguous  from  his  generous  flood 
Ten  thousand  watery  glades;  that,  round  him  curl'd, 
Vein  the  broad  bosom  of  the  Western  World. 
8  (85) 


86          THE    LIFE    OF    ROBERT    FULTON. 

Sway'd  with  the  floating  weight  each  river  toils, 
And  joyous  Nature's  full  perfection  smiles  j 
While  growing  arts  their  social  virtues  spread, 
Enlarge  their  compacts  and  unlock  their  trade, 
Till  each  remotest  clan,  by  commerce  join'd, 
Links  in  the  chain  that  binds  all  human  kind." 


IN  1793,  we  find  Mr.  Fulton  actively  engaged  in 
a  project  to  improve  inland  navigation :  even  at 
that  early  day,  he  had  conceived  the  idea  of  pro- 
pelling vessels  by  steam;  and  he  speaks  in  some 
of  his  manuscripts  with  great  confidence  of  its 
practicability.  In  May,  1794,  he  obtained  from 
the  British  Government  a  patent  for  a  Double 
Inclined-Plane,  to  be  used  for  transportation. 

Indeed,  the  subject  of  canals  appears  chiefly  to 
have  engaged  his  attention  about  this  time.  He 
now,  and  probably  for  some  time  previously,  pro- 
fessed himself  a  civil  engineer.  Under  this  title, 
he  published  his  work  on  canals.  In  1795,  he 
published  some  essays  on  the  same  subject  in  the 
London  Morning  Star. 

In  the  introduction  to  his  Treatise  on  Canal 
Navigation,  he  says  that  his  thoughts  were  first 
turned  to  this  subject  by  reading  a  paper  descrip- 
tive of  a  canal  proposed  by  the  Earl  of  Stanhope. 
In  the  spring  of  1796,  he  published  in  London  his 
"  Treatise  on  the  Improvement  of  Canal  Naviga- 
tion," with  many  plates.  The  object  of  this  work 


INLAND    NAVIGATION.  87 

was  to  prove  that  small  canals,  navigated  by  boats 
of  little  burden,  were  preferable  to  canals  and 
vessels  of  the  dimensions  then  in  use,  and  to  re- 
commend a  mode  of  conveyance  over  mountainous 
countries  independent  of  locks,  railways,  and  steam- 
engines.  This  he  proposed  to  accomplish  by  In- 
clined-Planes, upon  which  vessels  navigating  the 
canal,  of  a  construction  adapted  to  his  plan,  and 
their  cargoes,  should  be  raised  and  lowered  from 
one  level  to  another,  or  by  lifting  or  lowering  the 
boat  and  her  freight  perpendicularly  by  machinery 
of  very  ingenious  construction,  placed  on  the  higher 
level.  This  was  to  be  moved  by  the  power  of 
water  taken  from  the  superior  height,  and  applied 
to  a  water-wheel ;  or  by  the  weight  of  a  body  of 
water  received  into  a  coffer,  which  was  to  move  in 
a  direct  line  between  the  higher  and  the  lower 
level,  through  a  perpendicular  shaft  or  well  made 
in  the  earth  for  the  purpose.  He  also  proposed, 
by  a  different  modification  of  his  machinery,  and 
by  what  he  calls  Double  Inclined-Planes,  to  accom- 
plish the  passage  over  a  valley,  from  one  summit 
to  another.  He  does  not  pretend  that  to  use 
Inclined-Planes  for  these  purposes  was  an  original 
thought  of  his ;  but  their  connection  with  machi- 
nery, as  he  suggests,  and  particularly  the  perpen- 
dicular lift,  he  claimed  as  his  invention. 


88          THE    LIFE    OF    ROBERT    FULTON. 

Before  he  published  this  work,  he  submitted  his 
plan,  with  models  of  his  machines,  to  the  British 
Board  of  Agriculture,  of  which  Sir  John  Sinclair 
was  then  president.  It  was  favorably  received 
and  strongly  recommended  by  a  resolution  of  the 
Board,  which  was  communicated  to  Mr.  Fulton  in 
a  very  complimentary  manner.  It  would  not  be 
right  to  omit  noticing  that  the  work  of  which  we 
have  been  speaking  is  not  confined  to  canals.  These 
are  so  nearly  connected  with  aqueducts  and  with 
bridges,  that  he  bestows  some  chapters,  containing 
new  ideas  and  valuable  information,  on  these 
objects. 

It  is  gratifying  to  find  that  Mr.  Fulton  ever 
felt  as  an  American.  His  long  residence  abroad 
did  not  enfeeble  his  attachment  to  his  country. 
Thoughts  of  her  prosperity  and  welfare  were  con- 
nected with  all  his  projects;  and  those  that  he 
thought  might  be  of  advantage  to  her,  he  commu- 
nicated with  a  promptness  and  disinterestedness 
which  marked  his  desire  to  serve  her.  With  his 
Treatise  on  Canals,  he  published  .a  letter  to  the 
governor  of  his  native  State,  in  which  he  illustrates 
the  advantages  of  forming  interior  communications 
by  canals,  rather  than  by  turnpike  roads ;  and  re- 
commends his  own  system  of  small  canals  and 
boats,  as  being  preferable  to  the  method  of  canal- 


FULTON'S  STATESMANSHIP.          89 

ling  then  in  use  in  Europe.  With  the  same  views, 
he  sent  a  copy  of  his  work  to  General  Washington, 
from  whom  he  received  in  return  a  flattering  ac- 
knowledgment. 

In  the  spring  of  1798,  he  addressed  two  letters 
on  this  and  other  subjects  to  Lord  Stanhope.    They 
have  the  following  title :    "  Letters   from  Kobert 
Fulton  to  the  Right  Honourable  the  Earl  of  Stan- 
hope, explaining  the  present  projects  of  the  Go- 
vernment of  France,  their  plans  of  aggrandizement, 
their  system  of  acquiring  revenues,  and  their  views 
with   regard   to   foreign   possessions   and    trades." 
These   are  rather  essays   than   letters,  and  were 
evidently  intended  for  the  press ;  but  whether  they 
were  ever  published,  we  do  not  know.     In  a  con- 
fidential letter  to  Lord  Stanhope,  he  tells  him  that 
the  title  sounds  high;  that  he  had  adopted  it  to 
excite  curiosity,  and  to  induce  the  people  of  Eng- 
land to  read  them,  and  to  awaken  their  minds  to 
the    advantages    of    canals,   home   improvements, 
simple  taxation,  and  free  trade.     In  this  letter,  he 
makes  another  disclosure  which  shows  how  con- 
stantly his  country  was  in  his  mind,  and  how  inti- 
mately her  prosperity  was  connected  with  all  his 
projects.     He  acknowledges  to  Lord  Stanhope  that 
his  principal  reason  for  wishing  these  letters  to  be 
printed,  was   that   a   knowledge    of  them   might 
8* 


90          THE    LIFE    OF    ROBERT    FULTON. 

precede  his  return  to  America,  which  he  then 
contemplated;  and  where  he  intended,  as  he  in- 
formed his  lordship,  to  use  all  his  influence  to 
induce  his  countrymen  to  adopt  the  systems  of 
which  his  letters  point  out  the  advantages. 

It  seems  to  be  at  about  this  time  that  he  wrote 
a  work  which  is  found  among  his  manuscripts,  and 
which  probably  was  designed  to  have  an  influence 
on  the  great  political  questions  which  were  then 
agitated  in  France.  It  is  addressed  "to  the  friends 
of  mankind,"  and  is  intended  to  enforce  on  the 
French  legislators  the  duty  of  providing  for  educa- 
tion, and  of  attending  to  interior  improvements, 
upon  which  he  maintains  that  the  happiness  of  a 
nation,  and  more  particularly  of  a  republic,  most 
essentially  depends;  or,  to  express  his  sentiments 
in  his  own  words,  he  says :  "  The  whole  interior 
arrangements  of  governments  should  be  to  promote 
and  diffuse  knowledge  and  industry;  their  whole 
exterior  negotiations,  to  establish  a  social  inter- 
course with  each  other,  and  to  give  a  free  circula- 
tion to  the  whole  produce  of  virtuous  industry." 
An  universal  free  trade  is  his  favorite  theory  in 
political  economy,  and  one  which  he  loses  no 
opportunity  of  advocating,  with  all  the  force  of  his 
ardent  mind. 

He  considers  what  he  calls  the  war-system  of  the 


FULTON'S  STATESMANSHIP. 


91 


Old  World  as  the  cause  of  the  misery  of  the  great- 
est portion  of  its  inhabitants ;  and  this  leads  him 
into  a  curious  investigation  of  its  effects,  as  well  as 
an  interesting  enumeration  of  the  inhabitants  of 
Europe.  These  he  classes  as  producers  and  idlers: 
of  the  number  of  each  of  these  he  gives  an  esti- 
mate, and  then  presents  a  variety  of  calculations 
to  show  what  are  the  effects  of  the  last  upon  the 
society  they  encumber. 

This  work,  like  everything  that  came  from  the 
pen  of  Mr.  Fulton,  is  written  with  great  natural 
strength  and  originality.  He  never  attempts  to 
borrow  either  ideas  or  ornament,  but  is  content  to 
express  the  conceptions  of  his  own  mind  with  force 
and  perspicuity. 

There  is  also  among  his  manuscripts  another 
volume  on  the  same  subject.  It  is  entitled, 
"  Tlioughts  on  Free  Trade  ;  with  reasons  why  foreign 
possessions,  and  all  duties  on  importations,  are  inju- 
rious to  nations."  It  is  written  with  great  anima- 
tion and  force. 

Ardour  and  perseverance  were  characters  of  Mr. 
Fulton's  mind :  when  he  had  conceived  what  he 
thought  a  practicable  and  beneficial  project,  he  left 
ho  means  untried,  and  spared  no  pains  for  its 
accomplishment. 

Mr.  Fulton  says,  in  one  of  his  manuscripts : 


92          THE    LIFE    OF    ROBERT    FULTON. 

"After  this,  I  was  convinced  that  society  must  pass 
through  ages  of  progressive  improvement  before  the  free- 
dom of  the  seas  could  be  established  by  an  agreement  of 
nations ;  that  it  was  for  the  benefit  of  the  whole :  I  saw 
that  the  growing  wealth  and  commerce,  and  the  increasing 
population  of  the  United  States,  would  compel  them  to 
look  for  a  protection  by  sea,  and  perhaps  drive  them  to 
the  necessity  of  resorting  to  European  measures,  by  esta- 
blishing a  navy.  Seeing  this,  I  turned  my  whole  attention 
to  find  out  means  of  destroying  such  engines  of  oppression, 
by  some  method  which  would  put  it  out  of  the  power  of 
any  nation  to  maintain  such  a  system,  and  would  compel 
every  government  to  adopt  the  simple  principles  of  educa- 
tion, industry,  and  a  free  circulation  of  its  produce." 

Out  of  such  enlarged  and  philanthropic  views 
and  reflections,  grew  Mr.  Fulton's  inventions  for 
submarine  navigation  and  explosions;  and  with 
such  patriotic  motives  did  he  prosecute  them. 

Mr.  Fulton,  while  he  was  on  a  visit  to  Washing- 
ton, January,  1807,  was  invited  by  General  Dear- 
born, then  the  Secretary  at  War,  to  make  the 
necessary  surveys  and  drafts  for  a  canal  from  Lake 
Pontchartrain  to  the  Mississippi.  He  declined  this 
undertaking,  on  account  of  his  engagements  with 
his  steamboats  and  torpedoes.  On  these,  he  says 
in  a  letter  to  the  Secretary:  "/  labour  with  the 
ardour  of  an  enthusiast"  He  avails  himself  of 
this  opportunity  of  submitting  to  the  Government 
some  ideas  on  canal  navigation;  and  this  letter 
contains  the  earliest  suggestion  we  have  met  with 


CIVIL    ENGINEERING.  93 

of  the  practicability  arid  advantages  of  a  canal  to 
unite  our  great  Western  lakes  with  the  waters  of 
the  Hudson. 

Aqueducts. 

The  SHREWSBURY  CANAL  passes  over  the  valley 
of  TERN,  at  LONG,  for  a  distance  of  sixty-two  yards, 
upon  an  aqueduct.  In  consequence  of  the  great 
floods  which  happened  in  the  beginning  of  the 
year  1795,  much  damage  was  done  to  the  canal. 
Mr.  Kobert  Fulton,  the  American  engineer,  hap- 
pened to  be  at  LONG  at  the  time,  and  availed  him- 
self of  what  was  going  on  at  the  aqueduct,  and  of 
the  machinery  of  various  kinds  in  use  upon  the 
KETLEY  and  SHROPSHIRE  canals,  and  prepared  DRAW- 
INGS and  MODELS  of  a  variety  of  such  machinery, 
with  many  improvements  of  his  own,  and  submitted 
the  same  to  the  examination  of  a  committee  of  the 
Board  of  Agriculture,  in  March,  1796.  On  con- 
structing aqueducts  of  CAST-IRON  for  a  canal,  the 
following  is  a  copy  of  his  specifications  and  draw- 
ings  annexed : 

"  The  abutments  and  piers  being  raised,  it  will  only  be 
necessary  to  extend  two  pieces  of  timber  across  the  span  ; 
each  to  be  braced  back  to  the  piers  and  covered  with  plank, 
to  form  a  stage  or  scaffolding  which  will  answer  every  pur- 
pose of  centres  necessary  to  works  of  stone.  The  iron- 
work, as  represented  in  the  section,  may  all  be  cast  in 
open  sand,  and  of  the  following  dimensions  —  supposing 


94          THE    LIFE    OF    ROBERT    FULTON. 

the  span  one  hundred  feet,  and  the  spring  one-sixth  of  the 
span.  First,  three  segments  of  a  circle,  each  in  three 
pieces  about  thirty-six  feet  long,  eight  inches  by  four  dia- 
meter, to  be  united  as  at  A.  Second,  three  straight  bars, 
to  extend  from  one  pier  to  the  other,  to  be  of  the  above 
diameters,  may  also  be  cast  in  three  pieces ;  which  bars 
are  to  extend  along  the  top  of  the  segments  to  the  piers, 
and  form  a  line  parallel  to  the  horizon :  the  bars  and  seg- 
ments to  be  united  by  perpendicular  stirrups  like  B,  ten  or 
fifteen  feet  distant  from  each  other.  The  mortice  in  the 
lower  end  of  the  stirrup  being  thirteen  inches  long,  will 
be  sufficient  to  secure  the  segment,  and  leave  room  for  a 
hole  two  inches  square,  through  which  a  cross-brace,  C,  is 
to  pass,  and  fasten  the  segments  at  proper  distances :  the 
brace-  to  have  a  mortice  cast  on  each  side  of  the  stirrup, 
in  order  to  tighten  the  work  by  wedges.  On  the  top  of 
the  stirrup,  the  square  hole  to  receive  the  cross-brace  may 
be  beneath  the  mortices,  as  in  the  figure ;  by  which  means 
the  whole  may  be  combined,  and  form  an  iron  stage  to 
support  the  troughs.  The  trough  plates  should  be  at  least 
one  inch  thick,  the  side  plates  six  feet  broad,  and  as  great 
a  length  as  can  conveniently  be  cast ;  which  may  be  per- 
formed twelve  feet,  and  perhaps  more  in  length :  the  flange 
to  be  outside  on  these  plates.  The  bottom  plates  may  be 
six  feet  wide,  thirteen  feet  long,  seven  feet  plate,  and  four 
arms  projecting,  each  three  feet  long,  in  order  to  support 
the  horse-path  and  braces,  as  exhibited  at  D.  Two  of 
these  plates  laid  across  the  stage,  and  screwed  together, 
with  a  flange  under,  will  compose  a  length  equal  to  one 
of  the  side  plates,  which  may  either  meet  or  break  joint, 
as  is  thought  proper.  The  whole  may,  in  this  manner,  be 
screwed  together  on  packing  of  wool  and  tar,  and  have 
the  seams  pitched  like  those  of  a  ship.  On  the  plates 
composing  one  side  of  the  trough,  small  brackets,  about 
three  feet  from  the  top,  must  be  cast,  as  at  E,  in  order  to 
support  the  horse-path :  perpendicular  rails,  eight  feet  long, 
being  raised  from  the  arms  of  the  bottom  plates,  will  sup- 


CIVIL    ENGINEERING.  95 

port  the  outside  of  the  horse-path  —  also  the  iron  railing, 
as  in  the  section.  By  this  mode,  two  patterns  will  answer 
for  the  whole  of  the  trough  plates,  and  but  few  will  be 
required  for  the  springs,  rails,  and  spurs ;  while  the  saving 
in  time  and  expense  will  be  considerable  —  particularly 
where  it  is  necessary  to  bring  the  stone  by  long  land  car- 
riage ;  for  the  arches  being  dispensed  with,  and  the  piers 
not  more  than  one-third  of  the  dimensions  necessary  to  an 
aqueduct  of  stone,  will  most  materially  reduce  the  quan- 
tity of  masonry. 

"In  aqueducts  of  stone,  one  of  the  great  difficulties  is 
to  line  and  puddle  so  tight  as  to  prevent  the  water  pene- 
trating into  and  injuring  the  masonry ;  but  in  one  of  iron, 
should  a  leak  take  place,  it  will  instantly  appear ;  and,  on 
shutting  the  stop-gates  at  each  end,  and  discharging  the 
water,  it  may  be  stopped  in  a  few  hours,  if  not  minutes : 
this  circumstance  in  aqueducts  is,  perhaps,  one  of  the 
greatest  preservatives  —  they  are  consequently  less  liable 
to  injury,  and  only  subject  to  the  corroding  tooth  of  time." 

A  short  time  after  this,  a  most  stupendous  work 
of  this  kind  (a  Fulton  castriron  aqueduct)  was 
undertaken  and  completed  for  crossing,  the  DEE 
river,  in  Scotland,  at  PONTCYSYLTEE,  about  twenty 
miles  south-west  of  Chester ;  where  nineteen  mas- 
sive conical  pillars  of  stone,  at  fifty-two  feet  from 
each  other,  the  middlemost  of  which  is  no  less  than 
one  hundred  and  twenty-six  feet  in  height,  support 
between  the  top  of  every  pair  a  number  of  ellipti- 
cal cast-iron  ribs,  which,  by  means  of  uprights  and 
horizontal  bars,  support  a  cast-iron  aqueduct  about 
three  hundred  and  twenty-nine  yards  long,  twenty 
feet  wide,  and  six  in  depth,  composed  of  massive 


96          THE    LIFE    OF    ROBERT    FULTON. 

sheets  of  cast-iron,  cemented  and  riveted  together, 
having  on  its  south  side  an  iron  platform  and  rail- 
ing for  the  towing-path. 

It  was  foretold  that  the  effects  of  heat  and  cold 
would  destroy  it,  but  no  expansion  or  contraction 
of  the  metal  is  as  yet  visible ;  and  notwithstanding 
the  summer's  heat,  the  winter's  ice,  and  numerous 
floods,  this  cast-iron  aqueduct  still  remains  an  evi- 
dence of  Fulton's  practical  engineering. 

Bridges. 

Mr.  Fulton  also  submitted  his  PLANS,  DRAWINGS, 
and  MODELS  of  bridges,  to  the  British  Board  of 
Agriculture;  and  his  different  kinds  of  cast-iron 
bridges  for  passing  railways  over  valleys,  either 
level  across,  down  one  slope  and  up  the  other  of 
the  valley,  or  rising  obliquely  up :  in  the  first  and 
last  of  which  he  proposed  to  avoid  any  solid  plat- 
form or  top  for  carrying  the  horse-path,  and  to  tow 
or  drag  the  wagons  over  this  open  railway  by  an 
endless  rope  or  chain,  passing  over  a  pulley  at  each 
end,  which  can  be  set  in  motion  by  a  windlass,  a 
descending  weight,  or  other  power.  On  the  ap- 
proach to  a  river  or  yard  where  considerable  quan- 
tities of  coals  or  other  minerals  are  to  be  discharged, 
it  will  be  proper  to  keep  the  railway  upon  a  high 
level,  by  embankment,  or  on  arches,  or  on  a  stage 


CIVIL    ENGINEERING.  97 

of  timber,  that  the  wagons  may  be  discharged  from 
the  top  of  a  staith  or  stage  into  ships  or  boats,  or 
into  carts  and  wagons,  without  being  moved  by 
manual  labour.  Kivers,  brooks,  or  hollow  roads, 
must  be  crossed  on  bridges  whose  tops*  are  formed 
to  the  regular  slope  of  the  plane ;  and  where  roads 
cross  the  intended  railway,  they  must  either  be 
raised  so  as  to  be  carried  over,  or  sunk  so  as  to  pass 
under  the  same,  or  be  made  up  the  same  height ; 
and  the  rails  must,  in  that  part,  have  ribs  of  less 
height  and  greater  strength,  and  the  whole  must 
be  so  firmly  embedded  in  masonry,  that  the  heaviest 
carriages,  in  crossing,  cannot  damage  it. 

The  Board  was  highly  pleased,  and  approved  of 
Mr.  Fulton's  plans;  and  one  of  his  bridges  was 
erected  in  Wandsworth  town,  and  at  several  other 
places  on  the  SURREY  IRON  KAILWAY. 

Mr.  Fulton's  designs  fully  explained  the  princi- 
ples of  his  different  bridges  of  cast-iron ;  also  for 
bridges  for  newly  settled  and  woody  countries, 
wherein  large  timbers  dowelled  together  supply 
the  place  of  keystone,  above  which  the  platform 
for  the  road  was  to  be  supported. 

He  never  completed  a  model  until  he  had  first 
designed  and  projected  a  perfect  drawing,  accord- 
ing to  the  proper  scale ;  and  for  canals  and  railways 
his  specifications,  descriptions,  and  calculations,  are 
9  G 


98          THE    LIFE    OF    ROBERT    FULTON. 

most  remarkable  for  their  accuracy,  and  quite 
voluminous ;  showing  the  cost  of  every  foot  of  the 
work,  its  complete  proportions  and  dimensions,  the 
average  number  of  tons  to  a  horse,  the  rate  of  miles 
per  hour,  from  one  ton  and  upwards,  according  to 
the  speed,  and  the  clear  amount  of  revenue  and 
profits  on  each  and  every  ton  or  article  of  trans- 
portation— evincing  the  practical  knowledge  of  a 
most  experienced  and  perfect  civil  engineer. 

Inclined-Planes. 

On  the  8th  of  May,  1794,  Mr.  Fulton  obtained 
a  patent  in  England  for  the  use  of  a  DOUBLE  IN- 
CLINED-PLANE, with  cradles  having  cisterns  or  cais- 
sons under  them,  that  the  boats  were  in  some  cases 
to  be  taken  on  to  the  cradles  sideways  instead 
of  lengthways :  this  was  proposed  to  be  accom- 
plished by  short  Inclined-Planes,  on  which  the 
boats,  upon  wheeled  carriages,  were  to  be  dragged 
out  of  the  upper  and  lower  canals  by  means  of 
ropes  working  on  the  axles  of  water-wheels:  a 
brake  is  to  be  used  for  regulating  the  motion  of 
the  boats  and  cisterns  when  brought  nearly  to  an 
equilibrium  by  the  valves :  brace-locks  or  pulleys 
to  be  used  for  shortening  or  lengthening  the  large 
ropes  when  necessary. 

He  recommended  the  general  adoption  of  fords 


Double  Inclined  Plane, 


L.N.RosenthAisL 


CIVIL    ENGINEERING.  99 

on  his  small  canals;  and  stated  that  fifteen  or 
twenty  of  his  small  rectangular  boats,  linked  toge- 
ther, could  be  drawn  by  one  horse,  and  be  kept  in 
their  proper  line  upon  the  canal  by  a  man  with  a 
boat-hook  walking  by  the  side  of  them  on  the 
towing-path :  this  was  to  prevent  the  use  of  pointed 
poles  tipped  or  shod  with  iron,  which  the  boat- 
men used  for  shoving  barges  along,  on  account 
of  the  damage  which  such  often  did,  by  penetrat- 
ing and  disturbing  the  lining  and  banks  of  the 
canal,  thus  causing  it  to  leak. 

Mr.  Fulton's  Treatise  on  Canals  made  it  known 
that  he  had  turned  his  thoughts  to  that  subject, 
and  probably  induced  Mr.  Gallatin,  then  Secretary 
of  the  Treasury,  to  address  a  number  of  queries  to 
Mr.  Fulton,  for  information  on  which  to  ground  the 
Report  made  by  the  Treasury  Department  to  Con- 
gress, on  the  subject  of  public  roads  and  canals, 
in  the  spring  of  1808.  In  answer  to  these  queries, 
Mr.  Fulton  made  a  communication  to  Mr.  Gallatin, 
which  is  annexed  to  the  Report.  It  contains  a 
great  variety  of  information  and  calculations  of 
the  most  useful  kind,  upon  the  subjects  proposed. 
We  cannot  refrain  from  extracting  some  passages 
of  it  which  show  the  extensive  view  which  Mr. 
Fulton  took  of  objects  which  were  presented  to  his 
mind;  that,  so  far  from  being  limited  by  mere 


100   THE  LIFE  OF  ROBERT  FULTON. 

mechanical  operations,  he  connects  the  great  im- 
provements of  art  which  he  had  in  contemplation, 
with  their  ultimate  effects  on  the  happiness,  pros- 
perity, and  policy  of  his  countrymen. 

After  having  enumerated  the  economical  advan- 
tages of  improving  internal  communications,  he 
says : 

"  Secondly :  on  their  effect  in  cementing  the  Union,  and 
extending  the  principles  of  a  confederated  republican  go- 
vernment. Numerous  have  been  the  speculations  on  the 
duration  of  our  Union,  and  intrigues  have  been  practised 
to  sever  the  Western  from  the  Eastern  States.  The  opi- 
nion endeavoured  to  be  inculcated  was  that  the  inhabitants 
beyond  the  mountains  were  cut  off  from  the  market  of  the 
Atlantic  States ;  that  consequently  they  had  a  separate 
interest,  and  should  use  their  resources  to  open  a  commu- 
nication of  their  own ;  that,  remote  from  the  seat  of  go- 
vernment, they  could  not  enjoy  their  portion  of  advantages 
arising  from  the  Union ;  and  that,  sooner  or  later,  they 
must  separate,  and  govern  for  themselves. 

"Others,  by  drawing  their  examples  from  European 
governments,  and  the  monarchies  which  have  grown  out 
of  the  feudal  habits  of  nations  of  warriors,  whose  minds 
were  bent  to  the  absolute  power  of  the  few  and  the  servile 
obedience  of  the  many,  have  conceived  these  States  of  too 
great  an  extent  to  continue  united  under  a  republican  form 
of  government ;  and  that  the  time  is  not  distant  when  they 
will  divide  into  little  kingdoms — retrograding  from  common 
sense  to  ignorance,  adopting  all  the  follies  and  barbarities 
which  are  every  day  practised  in  the  kingdoms  and  petty 
states  of  Europe. 

"But  those  who  have  reasoned  in  this  way,  have  not 
reflected  that  men  are  the  creatures  of  habit;  and  that 
their  habits,  as  well  as  their  interests,  may  be  so  combined 


CIVIL    ENGINEERING.  101 

as  to  make  it  impossible  to  separate  them  without  falling 
back  into  a  state  of  barbarism. 

"Although  in  ancient  times  some  specks  of  civilization 
have  been  effaced  by  hordes  of  uncultivated  men,  yet  it  is 
remarkable  that,  since  the  invention  of  printing  and  gene- 
ral diffusion  of  knowledge,  no  nation  has  retrograded  in 
science  and  improvements  ;  nor  is  it  reasonable  to  suppose 
that  the  Americans,  who  have  as  much,  if  not  more  infor- 
mation, in  general,  than  any  other  people,  will  ever  aban- 
don an  advantage  which  they  have  once  gained. 

"England,  which  at  one  time  was  seven  petty  kingdoms, 
has  by  long  habit  been  united  into  one.  Scotland  by  suc- 
cession became  united  to  England ;  and  is  now  bound  to 
her  by  habit,  by  turnpike  roads,  by  canals,  and  reciprocal 
interests. 

"  In  like  manner  all  the  counties  of  England,  or  depart- 
ments of  France,  are  bound  to  each  other ;  and  when  the 
United  States  shall  be  bound  together  by  canals,  by  cheap 
and  easy  access  to  a  market  in  all  directions,  by  a  sense 
of  mutual  interests  arising  from  mutual  intercourse  and 
mingled  commerce,  it  will  be  no  more  possible  to  split  them 
into  independent  and  separate  governments,  each  lining  its 
frontiers  with  fortifications  and  troops,  to  shackle  their  own 
exports  and  imports  to  and  from  the  neighbouring  States, 
than  it  is  now  possible  for  the  government  of  England  to 
divide,  and  form  again  into  seven  kingdoms.  But  it  is 
necessary  to  bind  the  States  together  for  the  people's  inte- 
rests ;  one  of  which  is  to  enable  every  man  to  sell  the 
produce  of  his  labour  at  the  best  market,  and  purchase  at 
the  cheapest.  This  accords  with  the  idea  of  Hume : 
4  That  the  government  of  a  wise  people  would  be  little 
more  than  a  system  of  civil  police ;  for  the  best  interest 
of  man  is  industry  and  a  free  exchange  of  the  produce  of 
his  labour  for  the  things  which  he  may  require.' 

"On  this  humane  principle,  what  stronger  bonds  of 
union  can  be  invented  than  those  which  enabje  each  indi- 
vidual to  transport  the  produce  of  his  industry  twelve 
9* 


102   THE  LIFE  OF  ROBERT  FULTON. 

hundred  miles,  for  sixty  cents  the  hundred  weight  ?  Here 
then  is  a  certain  method  of  securing  the  union  of  the 
States,  and  of  rendering  it  as  lasting  as  the  continent  we 
inhabit. 

"  It  is  now  eleven  years,  since  I  have  had  this  plan  in 
contemplation  for  the  good  of  our  country.  At  the  con- 
clusion of  my  work  on  small  canals,  there  is  a  letter  to 
Thomas  Mifflin,  then  governor  of  the  State  of  Pennsylva- 
nia, on  a  system  of  canals  for  America.  It  contemplates 
the  time  when  canals  should  pass  through  every  vale, 
winding  round  each  hill,  and  bind  the  whole  country  toge- 
ther in  the  bonds  of  social  intercourse ;  and  I  am  now 
happy  to  find,  through  the  good  management  of  a  wise 
administration,  a  period  has  arrived  when  an  overflowing 
treasury  exhibits  abundant  resources,  and  points  the  mind 
to  works  of  such  immense  importance." 

We  have  already  said  that  the  earliest  notice  we 
have  met  with,  of  the  utility  and  practicability  of 
opening  a  communication  between  the  great  lakes 
and  the  Hudson,  is  in  a  letter  addressed  by  Mr. 
Fulton,  in  1807,  to  the  Government,  in  answer  to 
an  application  made  by  him,  through  General 
Dearborn,  respecting  a  canal  from  Lake  Pontchar- 
train  to  the  Mississippi.  But  a  project  which 
promised  such  incalculable  advantages  to  the  State 
of  New  York,  and  indeed,  it  may  be  said,  to  the 
world,  soon  attracted  the  attention  of  the  public; 
and,  in  the  spring  of  1810,  the  Legislature  of  New 
York  appointed  commissioners  to  explore  the  route 
of  an  inland  navigation  from  Hudson  river  to 
Lakes  Ontario  and  Erie.  This  commission  reported 


CIVIL    ENGINEERING.  103 

in  1811.  The  same  session,  Mr.  Fulton  was,  by 
an  act  of  the  Legislature,  appointed  one  of  the 
commissioners. 

In  1812,  a  second  report  was  made.  In  their 
report  of  1811,  the  commissioners  had  suggested 
the  possibility  of  bringing  the  waters  of  Lake  Erie 
to  a  reservoir  near  the  Hudson,  a  distance  of  three 
hundred  miles,  in  a  canal  on  an  Inclined-Plane, 
having  a  descent  of  six  inches  to  a  mile,  by  making 
mounds  and  aqueducts  over  the  intervening  valleys : 
as  the  descent  of  six  inches  to  a  mile  would  place 
the  reservoir  at  a  great  elevation  from  the  level  of 
the  river,  the  commissioners  proposed  that  it  should 
be  brought  down  from  thence  by  locks,  so  that  the 
extreme  of  the  Inclined-Plane  at  the  lake  would 
be  one  hundred  and  fifty  feet  higher  than  the  end 
at  the  river. 

Though  the  commissioners,  in  their  second  report, 
appear  to  have  abandoned  the  idea  of  an  Inclined- 
Plane  for  the  whole  extent,  they  yet  supposed  that 
the  canal  might  be  conducted  as  far  as  the  Seneca 
outlet,  as  they  had  proposed  in  their  first  report. 
It  is  probable  that  Mr.  Fulton,  though  this  proposal 
had  been  sanctioned  by  an  English  engineer  of 
great  eminence,  may  have  found  it  difficult  to  con- 
ceive how  water  could  be  confined  within  the  banks 
of  a  canal  which  should  have  so  considerable  an 


104       THE    LIFE    OF    ROBERT    FULTON. 

elevation  at  the  one  end  above  the  locks,  by  which 
it  would  be  stopped  at  the  other.  He  might  also 
have  supposed  that  there  would  have  been  great 
difficulty  in  raising  a  mound  of  earth  one  hundred 
and  thirty  feet  high,  as  a  bed  for  the  canal  over 
the  Cayuga  outlet  and  its  valley  for  a  mile  in 
extent. 

In  February,  1814,  he  addressed  a  letter  to 
Gouverneur  Morris,  Esq.,  President  of  the  Board 
of  Commissioners,  in  which  he  shows  what  would 
be  the  advantages  of  the  proposed  canal,  and  ex- 
hibits very  interesting  and  curious  calculations  of 
the  comparative  expense  of  transportation  upon 
land,  upon  rivers,  and  upon  canals. 

When  we  speak  of  Robert  Fulton  as  an  INVEN- 
TOR, we  do  not  allude  to  his  successful  application 
of  steam  to  machinery  for  propelling  boats,  the 
mere  mechanical  devices,  as  his  chief  merit,  al- 
though they  were  the  first  successful  experiments 
that  had  been  accomplished,  and  ever  since  adopted, 
and  although  improvements  innumerable  have  been 
made  and  added  since  to  steam  navigation,  and 
many  wonderful  contrivances  have  been  used,  yet 
each  and  all  have  only  been  additional  improve- 
ments in  the  building  of  steamships  for  beauty  and 
comfort;  whilst  his  original  combination  of  the 
piston  and  crank  and  paddle-wheels  with  the  pro- 


FULTON'S  CORRESPONDENTS.       105 

portionate  power  of  steam,  is  the  only  invention 
used  in  the  best  steamers  now  traversing  the  ocean, 
and  all  are  guided  by  the  "phantom-ship  Clermont" 
and  the  immortal  spirit  of  Fulton !  We  admire 
Fulton  still  more  as  a  man  of  science,  as  a  man 
whose  every  invention  was  the  contrivance  of  a 
real  philanthropist,  whose  every  act  was  for  the 
benefit  of  mankind,  whose  whole  mechanical  powers 
and  scientific  attainments  were  combined  and  con- 
centrated to  find  out  and  produce  things  that  were 
hidden  and  unknown,  and  whose  mind  dictated 
and  directed  communications  of  facts  and  truths  to 
the  greatest  men  then  known  to  the  world.  He 
communicated  in  writing  with  Washington,  with 
Napoleon,  with  King  George  the  Third,  with  Lord 
Stanhope,  Earl  of  Chatham,  President  Madison,  the 
National  Congress,  the  officers  of  the  United  States' 
army  and  navy,  Governor  DeWitt  Clinton,  of  New 
York,  Governor  Mifflin,  of  Pennsylvania,  Benjamin 
West,  Benjamin  Franklin,  and  with  the  prominent 
scientific  societies  of  England,  France,  and  Ame- 
rica, on  the  subjects  of  education  and  the  arts  and 
sciences;  and  in  all  his  communications,  in  all  his 
writings,  he  is  to  be  most  admired  for  the  applica- 
tion of  the  whole  force  of  his  imagination,  mind, 
and  genius,  to  the  interests,  credit,  honour,  and  glory 
of  his  own  country. 


106   THE  LIFE  OF  ROBERT  FULTON. 

In  1810,  in  a  letter  addressed  to  President 
Madison  and  the  Congress  of  the  United  States, 
giving  a  sketch  of  the  improvements  which 
should  be  made  in  America,  Mr.  Fulton  wrote  as 
follows : 

"Canals,  bending  round  the  hills,  would  irrigate  the 
grounds  beneath,  and  convert  them  into  luxuriant  pastu- 
rage. They  would  bind  a  hundred  millions  of  people  in 
one  inseparable  compact,  alike  in  habits,  in  language,  and 
in  interest — one  homogeneous  brotherhood,  the  most  invul- 
nerable, powerful,  and  respectable  on  earth.  Say,  legis- 
lators, you  who  direct  the  destinies  of  this  great  nation  — 
shall  Americans,  like  servile  creatures  of  established  habits, 
imitate  European  vices,  or  copy  them  because  they  are 
familiar?  —  shall  they  nourish  a  useless  marine,  lay  the 
basis  for  its  increase,  and  send  it  down  the  current  of  time 
to  futurity  with  all  its  complicated  evils  ?  —  shall  such  a 
system  consume  our  resources,  deprive  the  earth  of  im- 
provements, draw  into  its  vortex  ambitious  men,  divert  the 
best  talents  of  our  country  from  useful  works,  and  interest 
them  in  its  support,  creating  non-productive  labourers,  who 
must  be  the  consumers  of  the  produce  of  the  productive 
class,  and  diminish  their  enjoyments?  —  or  will  you  search 
into  the  most  hidden  recesses  of  science,  to  find  a  means 
for  preventing  such  incalculable  evils,  and  direct  the  genius 
and  resources  of  our  country  to  useful  improvements,  to 
the  sciences,  the  arts,  education,  the  amendment  of  the 
public  mind  and  morals  ? 

"  In  such  pursuits  lie  real  "honor  and  the  nation's  glory : 
such  are  the  labours  of  enlightened  republicans — those  who 
labour  for  the  public  good.  Every  order  of  things  which 
has  a  tendency  to  remove  oppression  and  meliorate  the 
condition  of  man,  by  directing  his  ambition  to  useful  in- 
dustry, is  in  effect  republican.  Every  system  which  nou- 
rishes war,  and  its  consequent  thousands  of  idlers  and 


FULTON'S  PATRIOTISM.  107 

oppressors,  is  aristocratic  in  its  effects,  whatever  may  be 
its  name. 

"These  sentiments  exhibit  my  political  creed  —  the  ob- 
ject of  all  my  exertions ;  and  these  principles,  practised 
by  Americans,  will  create  for  them  a  real  grandeur  of 
character  which  will  secure  to  them  the  respect  and  admi- 
ration of  the  civilized  world." 

And  this  is  the  language  of  Kobert  Fulton,  and 
he  is  the  man  that  every  American  should  love  to 
read  and  speak  of. 

It  was  such  language,  such  sentiments,  and  acts 
like  his,  that  have  placed  this  country  upon  the 
highest  pinnacle  of  fame. 

Let  us  then,  as  Americans,  as  neighbours,  as 
friends  of  the  lamented  Fulton,  erect  sudi  a  monu- 
ment as  shall  show  to  the  world  that  here,  where 
he  is  best  known,  his  unblemished  virtues,  his  no- 
bleness of  character,  and  his  immortal  genius,  shall 
be  remembered  with  gratitude  :  his  noble  sentiments, 
his  Golden  Deed,  and  his  imperishable  motto  :  "  Edu- 
cation, the  arts  and  sciences,  and  the  liberty  of  the 
seas,  shall  be  the  happiness  of  the  earth,"  are 
adopted,  and  prove  to  the  world  the  brightest  page 
in  American  history. 


CHAPTER  VI. 

TORPEDOES. 

IT  has  been  mentioned  that  the  Earl  of  Stanhope 
had  taken  great  pains  to  inform  himself  as  to  Mr. 
Fulton's  proceedings  in  France.  This  nobleman's 
mathematical  and  mechanical  mind  perceived  what 
consequences  might  result  from  the  application  of 
Mr.  Fulton's  inventions.  The  information  he  ob- 
tained was  communicated  to  the  British  Cabinet, 
and  excited  alarm.  It  was  determined  by  the 
British  Ministry,  if  possible,  to  withdraw  Mr.  Ful- 
ton from  France.  Lord  Sidmouth,  who  was  then 
one  of  the  ministers,  contrived  to  have  a  commu- 
nication with  Mr.  Fulton  while  he  was  in  Paris, 
and  obtained  his  consent  to  meet  an  agent  of 
the  British  Government  in  Holland.  In  October, 
1803,  Mr.  Fulton  went  from  Paris  to  Amsterdam, 
for  this  purpose.  But  the  agent  with  whom  he 
was  to  confer  did  not  arrive ;  and  after  being  in 
Amsterdam  three  months,  he  returned  to  Paris. 

It  may  be  well  to  stop  here,  and  notice  a  matter 
not  otherwise  of  importance  than  as  it  serves  to 

(108) 


TORPEDOES.  109 

mark  the  pliancy  of  Mr.  Fulton's  mind,  and  the 
versatility  of  his  genius.  At  a  time  when  he  was 
taking  a  step  which,  as  he  thought,  would  be 
decisive  of  the  fate  of  nations,  which  put  his  life 
at  risk,  and  might  determine  his  own  fortune,  he 
amused  himself  with  making  sketches  from  the 
scenery  of  Holland,  and  representations  of  the 
manners,  figures,  and  costume  of  the  Hollanders : 
some  of  them  are  broad  caricatures,  which  cannot 
but  excite  a  smile.  They  are  found  in  his  port- 
folio ;  and  though  in  general  they  are  but  sketches, 
they  show  that  they  are  from  the  hand  of  a  master, 
guided  by  wit  and  genius. 

Sometime  after  his  return  to  Paris,  the  agent 
whom  he  was  to  have  met  at  Amsterdam  made  his 
appearance  in  the  French  metropolis,  bearing  a 
letter  from  Lord  Hawkesbury  to  Mr.  Fulton,  which 
induced  him  to  proceed  to  London,  where  he  arrived 
in  May,  1804.  Lord  Sidmouth  was  then  out  of 
office,  and  Mr.  Pitt  had  resumed  the  administra- 
tion. The  new  ministry  seemed  to  approve  of 
what  had  been  done  by  their  predecessors  in  rela- 
tion to  Mr.  Fulton.  He  soon  had  an  interview 
with  Mr.  Pitt  and  Lord  Melville.  When  Mr.  Pitt 
first  saw  a  drawing  of  a  torpedo,  with  a  sketch  of 
the  mode  of  applying  it,  and  understood  what 
would  be  the  effects  of  its  explosion,  he  said  that, 
10 


110   THE  LIFE  OF  ROBERT  FULTON. 

if  introduced  into  practice,  it  could  not  fail  to  annir 
liilate  all  military  marines. 

It  would  not  be  extraordinary  if  Mr.  Pitt,  en- 
tertaining this  opinion,  should,  as  the  minister  of  a 
nation  which  had  then  the  largest  navy  in  the  world, 
have  felt  cordially  disposed  to  encourage  an  inven- 
tion that  might  deprive  her  of  the  mighty  supe- 
riority she  derived  from  her  fleets.  This  was  cer- 
tainly the  view  that  some  of  her  statesmen  had  on 
the  subject.  When  Mr.  Fulton  had  an  interview 
with  the  Earl  St.  Vincent,  he  exhibited  to  him  a 
torpedo,  and  described  to  him  the  effects  it  had 
produced,  the  noble  earl,  in  the  strong  language  of 
his  profession,  rather  than  in  a  style  comporting 
with  his  new  dignity,  exclaimed  against  Mr.  Pitt 
for  encouraging  a  mode  of  warfare  which,  he  said, 
with  great  reason,  they  who  commanded  the  seas 
did  not  want,  and  which,  if  successful,  would 
wrest  the  trident  from  those  who  then  claimed 
to  bear  it  as  the  sceptre  of  supremacy  on  the 
ocean. 

In  June,  the  British  Ministry  appointed  a  com- 
mission to  examine  Mr.  Fulton's  projects.  The 
commissioners  were  Sir  Joseph  Banks,  Mr.  Caven- 
dish, Sir  Home  Popham,  Major  Congreve,  and  Mr. 
John  Rennie.  Many  weeks  passed  before  Mr. 
Fulton  could  prevail  on  them  to  do  anything ;  and 


TORPEDOES.  Ill 

finally,  when  they  met,  they  reported  against  the 
submarine  boat,  as  being  impracticable. 

At  about  this  time,  an  expedition  was  fitted  out 
against  the  French  flotilla  in  the  roads  of  Boulogne. 
In  the  night,  torpedoes  were  thrown,  by  boats  from 
a  British  squadron,  across  the  bows  of  two  of  the 
French  gun-brigs.  The  Frenchmen,  when  the  tor- 
pedo-boats were  discovered,  exclaimed,  with  horror, 
that  the  infernal  machines  were  coming!  They 
had  in  their  minds,  no  doubt,  the  effects  of  some 
vague  reports  as  to  Mr.  Fulton's  engines ;  and  were 
terrified  by  knowing  what  had  been  the  tremendous 
consequences  of  the  explosion,  in  the  streets  of 
Paris,  a  short  time  previously,  of  a  machine  in- 
tended to  destroy  the  life  of  Bonaparte. 

The  torpedoes  exploded  alongside  of  the  French 
vessels,  without  doing  them  any  injury.  Mr.  Ful- 
ton imputed  this  failure  to  a  mistake,  arising  from 
want  of  experience,  in  what  was  apparently  a 
slight  matter.  The  torpedo  had  been  so  placed  as 
that  it  hung  perpendicularly  by  the  side  of  the 
vessel,  whereas  it  should  have  been  so  arranged  as 
that  the  current  would  have  swept  it  under  her 
bottom.  This,  he  was  convinced,  might  be  accom- 
plished by  the  simple  contrivance  of  attaching  a 
bridle  to  the  torpedo  in  such  a  manner  as  that  it 
should  lay  in  the  water  at  an  angle  with  the  line 


112        THE    LIFE    OF    ROBERT    FULTON. 

of  direction  of  the  current.  This,  when  the  tor- 
pedo was  stopped  by  a  line  connected  with  it  meet- 
ing the  hawser  or  bow  of  the  vessel,  would  give  it 
a  sheer  which  would  carry  it  towards  the  keel  of 
the  vessel  to  be  destroyed.  Mr.  Fulton's  subse- 
quent experiments  proved  that  his  theory  on  this 
subject  was  perfectly  correct. 

On  the  15th  of  October,  1805,  he  blew  up  a 
strong-built  Danish  brig,  of  the  burden  of  200 
tons,  which  had  been  provided  for  the  experiment, 
and  which  was  anchored  in  Walmar  roads,  near 
Deal,  within  a  mile  of  Walmer  castle,  the  residence 
of  Mr.  Pitt  at  that  time.  He.  has  given  an  in- 
teresting account  of  this  experiment  in  a  pamph- 
let which  he  published  in  this  country,  under  the 
title  of  "  Torpedo  War." .  In  a  letter  to  Lord  Cas- 
tlereagh,  of  the  16th  of  October,  1805,  he  says: 

"Yesterday,  about  four  o'clock,  I  made  the  intended 
experiment  on  the  brig,  with  a  carcass  of  one  hundred  and 
seventy  pounds  of  powder;  and  I  have  the  pleasure  to 
inform  you  that  it  succeeded  beyond  my  most  sanguine 
expectations.  Exactly  in  fifteen  minutes  from  the  time  of 
drawing  the  peg  and  throwing  the  carcass  in  the  water, 
the  explosion  took  place.  It  lifted  the  brig  almost  bodily, 
and  broke  her  completely  in  two.  The  ends  sunk  imme- 
diately, and  in  one  minute  nothing  was  to  be  seen  of  her 
but  floating  fragments :  her  mainmast  and  pumps  were 
thrown  into  the  sea,  her  foremast  was  broken  in  three 
pieces,  her  beams  and  knees  were  thrown  from  her  deck 
and  sides,  and  her  deck  planks  were  rent  in  fibres.  In 


TORPEDOES.  113 

fact,  her  annihilation  was  complete,  and  the  effect  was 
most  extraordinary.  The  power,  as  I  had  calculated, 
passed  in  a  right  line  through  her  body,  that  being  the 
line  of  least  resistance,  and  carried  all  before  it.  At  the 
time  of  her  going  up,  she  did  not  appear  to  make  more 
resistance  than  a  bag  of  feathers,  and  went  to  pieces  like 
a  shattered  eggshell." 

Mr.  Fulton  embarked  at  Falmouth  in  October, 
1806,  and  arrived  at  New  York,  by  the  way  of 
Halifax,  on  the  13th  of  December,  in  the  same 
year. 

Upon  his  arrival  in  this  country,  he  immediately 
engaged  in  the  pursuit  of  both  the  objects  which 
had  latterly  engaged  his  attention  in  Europe ;  that 
is,  submarine  war  and  steam  navigation. 

He  had  not  been  landed  in  America  a  month 
before  he  went  to  the  seat  of  government,  to  pro- 
pose to  the  administration  to  enable  him  to  prose- 
cute a  set  of  experiments  with  his  torpedoes.  He 
found  Mr.  Madison,  then  Secretary  of  State,  and 
the  Secretary  of  the  Navy,  Mr.  Smith,  much  dis- 
posed to  encourage  his  attempts,  the  success  of 
which  Mr.  Fulton,  by  his  ingenious  models  and 
drawings,  with  his  lucid  and  engaging  mode  of 
lecturing  upon  them,  made  to  appear  so  probable. 
The  Government  authorized  a  certain  expenditure 
to  be  made,  under  the  direction  of  Mr.  Fulton,  for 
this  purpose.  In  the  meantime,  anxious  to  pre- 
10*  H 


114   THE  LIFE  OF  ROBERT  FULTON. 

possess  bis  countrymen  with  a  good  opinion  of  his 
project,  he  invited  the  magistracy  of  New  York, 
and  a  number  of  citizens,  to  Governor's  Island, 
where  were  the  torpedoes  and  the  machinery,  with 
which  these  experiments  were  to  be  made :  these, 
with  the  manner  in  which  they  were  to  be  used, 
and  were  expected  to  operate,  he  explained  very 
fully.  While  he  was  lecturing  on  his  blank  tor- 
pedoes, which  were  large  empty  copper  cylinders, 
his  numerous  auditors  crowded  around  him.  At 
length  he  turned  to  a  copper  case  of  the  same  de- 
scription, which  was  placed  under  the  gateway  of 
the  fort,  and  to  which  was  attached  a  clock-work 
lock ;  this,  by  drawing  out  a  peg,  he  set  in  motion, 
and  then  said  to  his  attentive  audience :  "  Gentle- 
men :  this  is  a  charged  torpedo,  with  which,  pre- 
cisely in  its  present  state,  I  mean  to  blow  up  a 
vessel :  it  contains  one  hundred  and  seventy  pounds 
of  gunpowder,  and  if  I  were  to  suffer  the  clock- 
work to  run  fifteen  minutes,  I  have  no  doubt  but 
that  it  would  blow  this  fortification  to  atoms." 
The  circle  round  Mr.  Fulton  was  very  soon  much 
enlarged,  and  before  five  of  the  fifteen  minutes 
were  out,  there  were  but  two  or  three  persons  re- 
maining under  the  gateway ;  some,  indeed,  lost  no 
time  in  getting  at  the  greatest  possible  distance 
from  the  torpedo,  with  their  best  speed,  and  did 


TORPEDOES.  115 

not  again  appear  on  the  ground  till  they  were 
assured  it  was  lodged  in  the  magazine  from  whence 
it  had  been  taken,  and  did  not  seem  to  feel  them- 
selves quite  safe  as  long  as  they  were  on  the  island. 
The  conduct  of  Mr.  Fulton's  auditors  was  not  very 
extraordinary  or  unnatural;  but  his  own  compo- 
sure indicated  the  confidence  with  which  he  handled 
these  terrible  instruments  of  destruction,  and  the 
reliance  he  had  on  the  accuracy  of  the  performance 
of  his  machinery.  The  apprehensions  of  the  com- 
pany surprised,  but  amused  him,  and  he  took  occa- 
sion to  remark,  how  true  it  was  that  fear  frequently 
arose  from  ignorance. 

On  the  20th  of  July,  1807,  in  pursuance  of  the 
experiments  which  the  Government  had  authorized 
him  to  make,  he  blew  up  with  a  torpedo,  in  the 
harbor  of  New  York,  a  large  hulk  brig,  which  had 
been  provided  for  this  purpose.  Of  this  experi- 
ment, Mr.  Fulton  has  given  a  circumstantial  account 
in  his  work  entitled  "Torpedo  War"  There  were 
several  unsuccessful  attempts  to  place  and  fire  the 
torpedoes,  so  that  the  explosion  did  not  take  place 
till  several  hours  after  the  time  fixed  for  it  by  Mr. 
Fulton,  and  after  it  was  expected  by  the  multitude 
of  spectators  who  crowded  the  shores.  The  tor- 
pedo locks  missed  fire  several  times :  this  was 
owing  to  the  following  trivial  circumstances :  Mr. 


116   THE  LIFE  OF  ROBERT  FULTON. 

Fulton  had  tried  his  prepared  carcasses  in  a  tub 
of  water,  till  he  found  they  were  so  balanced  by 
the  corkwood,  or  buoyant  matter  attached  to  them, 
that  they  would  retain  the  desired  position;  but 
he  had  done  this  without  their  locks,  which  were^ 
of  considerable  weight,  being  attached  to  them. 
When  these  came  to  be  fixed  to  the  torpedoes,  and 
thrown  into  the  river  to  be  floated  against  the  hulk, 
the  additional  gravity  which  the  locks  gave  to  one 
side  of  the  torpedoes  reversed  them,  so  that  the 
locks  were  downwards  :  the  consequence  wras,  that 
when  the  hammer  of  the  lock  drove  up  the  pan, 
the  priming  powder  fell  out,  and  the  spark  from 
the  flint  could  have  no  effect.  Nothing  could  have 
been  easier  than  to  have  provided  against  such  an 
occurrence,  but  it  was  in  vain  to  attempt  to  correct 
the  error  at  that  moment :  an  adjustment  of  the 
parts  of  the  machine  was  necessary,  which  required 
leisure — so  much  do  matters  of  this  kind  depend 
on  slight  circumstances,  and  so  necessary  is  prac- 
tice to  perfect  every  theory.  At  length,  however, 
the  explosion  took  effect,  and  nothing  was  seen  in 
the  place  of  the  vessel  but  a  high  column  of  water, 
smoke,  and  fragments.  This  experiment  only 
served  to  prove  to  the  inhabitants  of  New  York, 
by  ocular  demonstration,  what  indeed  was  not 
doubted  by  any  one  who  had  the  least  acquaintance 


TORPEDOES.  117 

with  the  subject,  that  the  explosion  of  a  torpedo 
under  a  vessel's  bottom  would  annihilate  her. 

The  day  after  this  experiment,  Mr.  Fulton  ad- 
dressed a  letter  to  the  governor,  mayor,  and  mem- 
bers of  the  corporation  of  New  York,  from  which 
the  following  are  extracts  : 

"  Having  now  clearly  demonstrated  the  great  effect  of 
explosion  under  water,  it  is  easy  to  conceive  that,  by  orga- 
nization and  practice,  the  application  of  the  torpedoes  will, 
like  every  other  art,  progress  in  perfection.  Little  diffi- 
culties and  errors  will  occur  in  the  commencement,  as  has 
been  the  case  in  all  new  inventions ;  but  where  there  is 
little  risk,  little  expense,  and  so  much  to  be  gained,  it  is 
•worthy  of  consideration  whether  this  system  should  not 
have  a  fair  trial.  Gunpowder,  within  the  last  three  hun- 
dred years,  has  totally  changed  the  art  of  war ;  and  all 
my  reflections  have  led  me  to  believe  that  this  application 
of  it  will,  in  a  few  years,  put  a  stop  to  maritime  wars,  give 
that  liberty  on  the  seas  which  has  been  long  and  anxiously 
desired  by  every  good  man,  and  secure  to  America  that 
liberty  of  commerce,  tranquillity  and  independence,  which 
will  enable  her  citizens  to  apply  their  mental  and  corporeal 
faculties  to  useful  and  humane  pursuits  —  to  the  improve- 
ment of  our  country  and  the  happiness  of  the  whole 
people." 

The  torpedo  was  a  copper  case  two  feet  long, 
twelve  inches  in  diameter,  containing  one  hundred 
pounds  of  powder,  having  a  lock  similar  to  a  gun- 
lock  to  contain  a  musket  charge  of  powder :  the 
box,  with  the  lock  cocked  and  barrel  charged,  is 
screwed  to  the  copper  case.  The  lever  at  top  has 


118   THE  LIFE  OF  ROBERT  FULTON. 

a  communication  to  the  lock  inside  of  the  box,  and 
holds  the  lock  cocked  and  ready  to  fire,  a  weight 
holds  it  down  to  any  given  depth  under  water,  a 
small  anchor  prevents  a  strong  tide  moving  it  from 
its  position. 

The  torpedo  thus  anchored,  it  is  obvious  that,  if 
a  ship  in  sailing  should  strike  the  lever,  the  explo- 
sion would  be  instantaneous,  and  she  be  immedi- 
ately destroyed;  hence,  to  defend  our  bays  or 
harbors,  let  a  hundred  of  these  engines  be  anchored 
in  the  channel;  as,  for  example,  the  Narrows,  to 
defend  New  York  :  they  may  be  set  to  stay  under 
water  a  day,  a  week,  or  a  year. 

Having  made  improvements  on  his  invention, 
and  learned  much,  as  he  conceived,  by  his  late 
experiments,  Mr.  Fulton,  in  January,  1810,  visited 
Washington  again.  Mr.  Jefferson,  Mr.  Madison, 
and  a  number  of  members  of  Congress,  assembled 
by  his  invitation  at  Kalorama,  the  seat  of  his  friend 
Mr.  Barlow,  to  see  his  new  models  and  drawings, 
and  to  listen  to  his  explanations  of  them,  and  of 
the  modes  in  which  he  intended  they  should  be 
applied. 

Soon  after  this,  he  published  his  work  entitled 
"Torpedo  War;  or,  Submarine  Explosions!1  He 
adopted  as  a  motto  for  his  publication,  his  favourite 
sentiment :  "  THE  LIBERTY  OF  THE  SEAS  WILL  BE  THE 


TORPEDOES.  119 

HAPPINESS  OF  THE  EARTH."  He  addressed  it  to  the 
President  of  the  United  States,  and  to  the  members 
of  both  houses  of  Congress :  it  contained  a  descrip- 
tion of  the  experiments  he  had  made,  of  his  engines 
as  he  had  improved  them,  and  of  the  manner  in 
which  they  might  be  used. 

The  members  of  Congress  were  so  favourably 
impressed  with  respect  to  Mr.  Fulton's  inventions, 
by  the  lectures  which  he  had  given  upon  them  in 
their  presence,  that,  in  March,  1810,  they  passed 
an  act  making  an  appropriation  for  trying  practi- 
cally the  use  of  torpedoes  and  submarine  explo- 
sions. For  this  purpose,  five  thousand  dollars  were 
granted,  to  be  expended  at  the  discretion  of  the 
President,  under  the  immediate  direction  of  the 
Secretary  of  the  Navy.  In  execution  of  this  act, 
it  was  proposed  that  some  preliminary  experiments 
should  be  made  in  the  harbor  of  New  York.  The 
Secretary  of  the  Navy  addressed  a  circular  letter 
to  several  gentlemen,  inviting  them  to  be  present 
at  the  experiments,  and  to  make  a  report,  so  far  as 
the  gentlemen  might  be  enabled  to  form  satisfac- 
tory opinions.  Commodore  Eodgers  and  Commo- 
dore Chauncey  were  directed  to  give  their  super- 
intendence. 

In  the  month  of  September,  Mr.  Fulton  exhibited 
to  the  gentlemen  appointed  by  the  Government  the 


120       THE    LIFE    OF    ROBERT    FULTON. 

models  of  his  engines,  and  explained  to  them  the 
manner  in  which  he  proposed  they  should  be  used. 
His  machines  were  torpedoes,  which  were  to  be 
applied  to  the  bottom  of  a  vessel  in  various  ways. 
First,  he  proposed  that  two  torpedoes  should  be 
united  by  a  coupling-line;  that  they  should  be 
floated  in  the  tide  at  a  certain  depth  below  the 
surface,  and  suffered  to  drift  down  on  each  side  of 
the  vessel  to  be  attacked,  so  as  that  the  coupling- 
line  would  be  arrested  by  the  cable  of  the  vessel : 
this  would  occasion  the  torpedoes,  when  pressed  by 
the  force  of  the  current,  to  approach  each  other 
and  come  in  contact  with  the  inferior  parts  of  the 
vessel  to  be  destroyed.  Secondly,  he  proposed  that 
a  torpedo  should  be  fastened  to  one  end  of  a  line, 
the  other  end  of  which  should  be  attached  to  a 
harpoon,  which  was  to  be  discharged  into  the  bows 
of  a  vessel  at  anchor  in  a  current,  or  under  way, 
from  a  piece  of  ordnance  that  he  had  contrived, 
and  which  was  to  be  carried  by  a  light  boat  con- 
structed for  the  purpose.  He  conceived  that  such 
a  boat  might  approach  a  hostile  vessel  near  enough 
to  do  execution,  with  at  least  as  little  danger  as 
fire-ships  are  exposed  to  in  accomplishing  their 
objects.  The  line  being  fastened  to  the  vessel  at 
One  end  by  the  harpoon,  the  current,  if  the  vessel 
were  at  anchor,  or  the  progress  of  the  vessel  through 


-.., 

-..  '  '••' 


TORPEDOES.  121 

the  water,  if  she  were  under  way,  would  bring  the 
torpedo  at  the  other  extremity  of  the  line  under 
her  bottom.  The  torpedoes,  when  in  this  situation, 
were  to  be  discharged  by  clock-work  locks,  or  by 
locks  so  constructed  that  the  triggers  should  be 
drawn  by  levers  connected  with  them  coming  in 
contact  with  the  vessel. 

He  proposed  also  to  apply  a  torpedo  by  having 
it  attached  to  a  long  spar,  which  should  be  sus- 
pended, by  a  swivel  from  the  bowsprit  of  a  torpedo- 
boat,  so  nearly  on  a  balance,  that  a  man  in  the 
bow  of  the  boat  could  elevate  or  depress  the  tor- 
pedo with  one  hand,  while  with  the  other  he  could 
pull  a  string  attached  to  the  trigger  of  the  lock, 
when  the  torpedo  should  be  run  under  the  bottom 
of  a  vessel. 

He  also  proposed  to  employ  in  his  "  torpedo  war" 
what  he  called  block-ships;  that  is,  large  vessels 
of  from  50  to  100  tons  measurement,  the  sides  of 
which  were  to  be  cannon-proof,  and  the.  decks  im- 
penetrable to  musket-shot.  Each  of  these  vessels 
was  to  be  propelled  by  machinery,  which  was  to 
be  worked  by  her  crew,  who  were  to  be  under  the 
protection  of  her  impenetrable  sides.  On  each 
quarter  and  bow  she  was  to  be  armed  with  a  tor- 
pedo, fastened  to  a  long  spar,  the  interior  end  of 
which  was  to  be  supported  and  braced  by  ropes 
11 


122   THE  LIFE  OF  ROBERT  FULTON. 

from  the  yards,  like  the  lower  steering-sail-boom 
of  a  ship.  By  means  of  these  spars,  the  torpedoes 
were  to  be  thrust  under  the  bottom  of  the  vessel 
to  be  destroyed.  He  afterwards  thought  of  em- 
ploying our  common  river  sloops  for  this  purpose, 
and  to  prepare  them  for  it  by  lining  them  with 
thick  timber  and  covering  their  decks  with  pretty 
stout  sheet-iron.  He  supposed  that  these  might  be 
navigated  by  their  common  sails.  It  was  his  idea, 
that  if  a  man-of-war  of  the  largest  size  were  at- 
tacked by  ten  or  twelve  such  vessels  assailing  her 
from  all  quarters,  she  could  not  defend  herself  so 
as  to  prevent  the  approach  of  all  of  them :  if  only 
one  of  them  got  sufficiently  near,  the  destruction 
of  the  vessel  attacked  would  be  inevitable.  The 
torpedo-vessels  would  not  be  affected  by  the  explo- 
sion, because,  according  to  his  theory,  the  correct- 
ness of  which  was  proved  by  what  happened  in 
the  attack  on  the  French  vessels  in  the  roads  of 
Boulogne,  and  by  other  experiments,  the  force  of 
powder  exploded  under  water  is  always  perpendi- 
cularly to  the  surface :  the  lateral  pressure  of  the 
mass  of  waters  of  the  sea  or  of  a  river,  opposes  an 
infinite  resistance  to  a  sudden  impulse,  and  confines 
the  course  of  an  explosion  in  a  line  at  right  angles  to 
the  surface,  as  certainly  as  the  sides  of  a  cannon  direct 
the  force  of  a  discharge  in  the  course  of  its  calibre. 


TORPEDOES.  123 

If  ten  or  twelve  such  vessels  were  in  our  harbors 
or  on  our  coasts,  a  match  for  a  man-of-war,  we 
should  be  able  to  make  a  maritime  defence  at 
much  less  expense  of  men  and  money  than  it 
would  cost  to  attack  us ;  for  ten  or  twelve  of  these 
torpedo-vessels,  and  their  equipment,  would  require 
much  less  of  men  and  money  than  a  man-of-war. 

But  to  return  to  Mr.  Fulton's  proceedings  before 
the  commissioners  appointed  by  the  Government. 
At  the  first  interview,  above-mentioned,  he  ex- 
plained to  them  his  stationary  torpedoes,  as  he  has 
described  them  in  his  "Torpedo  War."  These 
were  to  be  carcasses  of  powder,  like  those  before 
described.  Having  levers  attached  to  the  triggers 
of  the  locks,  numbers  of  them  were  to  be  anchored 
in  the  channel  through  which  vessels,  to  make  an 
attack,  must  pass :  the  hostile  vessel,  in  passing 
over  a  torpedo,  would  press  the  lever  and  cause  an 
explosion. 

Another  machine  which  Mr.  Fulton  exhibited 
and  explained  to  the  commissioners,  was  one  which 
he  had  invented  subsequently  to  his  publication  of 
the  "  Torpedo  War."  He  called  it  a  cable-cutter. 
On  this  he  placed  great  reliance,  even  in  the  state 
in  which  it  then  was;  but  which  he  afterwards 
greatly  improved. 

This  machine  consisted  of  a  large  iron  hook, 


124       THE    LIFE    OF    ROBERT    FULTON. 

upon  the  shaft  or  haft  of  which  was  placed  a  small 
piece  of  ordnance  charged  with  powder,  as  in  the 
common  mode,  andean  instrument  with  a  chisel  or 
cutter  at  the  outwal^end,  of  a  crescent  form :  the 
piece  was  to  be  discharged  by  a  water-proof  lock, 
like  those  used  for  the  torpedoes :  to  the  iron  part 
of  this  machinery  was  attached  a  sufficient  quan- 
tity of  wood  or  buoyant  matter  to  support  it :  from 
the  buoyant  matter,  the  iron  was  to  be  supported, 
by  chains  or  cords,  at  any  required  depth :  to  the 
extreme  end  of  the  shaft  of  the  hook  was  attached 
a  long  line,  to  the  other  end  of  which  was  fastened 
a  floating  body :  thus  prepared,  the  machine,  for  an 
attack  upon  a  vessel  at  anchor  in  a  tideway,  was 
to  be  thrown  into  the  current  at  any  distance  above 
the  object :  the  hook  with  its  appurtenances  on  one 
side  of  her,  and  the  buoy  at  the  other  extremity 
of  the  line  on  the  other  side :  the  current  would 
then  carry  them  both  down  the  stream,  till  the  line 
was  intercepted  by  the  cable  of  the  vessel :  when 
in  this  position,  the  buoy  at  the  one  end  of  the 
line,  which  was  to  be  of  such  size  as  to  present  a 
greater  resistance  to  the  water  than  was  at  the 
other  end,  would  draw  the  line  across  the  cable 
till  the  hook  embraced  it,  and  would  bring  the 
cable  immediately  before  the  muzzle  of  the  piece 
of  ordnance,  and  of  course  directly  in  opposition 


THE    CABLE-CUTTER.  125 

to  the  chisel  or  cutter :  at  the  moment  the  cable 
was  in  this  position,  it  pressed  against  a  lever 
which  crossed  the  hook,  and  which  communicated 
with  the  trigger  of  the  lock :  by  this  means,  the 
piece  was  fired,  and  the  cable  separated  by  the 
cutter. 

In  these  attacks,  so  much  of  the  machinery  was 
permitted  to  be  seen  on  the  surface  of  the  water, 
that  they  could  only  be  made  with  a  chance  of 
success  at  night;  but  Mr.  Fulton  thought  the 
buoyancy  of  the  machine  was  so  arranged  as  to 
keep  the  whole  below  the  surface  of  the  water, 
and  thus  render  the  attack  at  all  times  invisible. 

In  the  months  of  September  and  October,  the 
commissioners  assembled  several  times  at  the  Navy- 
yard  to  witness  Mr.  Fulton's  experiments.  The 
sloop-of-war  Argus,  which  was  then  commanded  by 
the  gallant  Captain  Lawrence,  was  to  have  been 
the  subject  of  them :  she  had  been  prepared  to 
defend  herself  against  them,  under  the  orders  of 
Commodore  Eodgers,  after  Mr.  Fulton  had  ex- 
plained to  him  his  proposed  mode  of  attack.  She 
had  a  strong  netting  suspended  from  her  spritsail- 
yard,  which  was  anchored  at  the  bottom :  she  was 
surrounded  by  spars  lashed  together,  which  floated 
on  the  surface  of  the  water,  so  as  to  place  her 
completely  in  a  pen :  she  had  grappling-irons  and 
11* 


126   THE  LIFE  OF  ROBERT  FULTON. 

heavy  pieces  of  the  same  metal  suspended  from 
her  yards  and  rigging,  ready  to  be  plunged  in  any 
boat  that  came  beneath  them :  she  had  swords  or 
scythes  fastened  to  the  ends  of  long  spars,  moving 
like  sweeps,  which  unquestionably  would  have 
mowed  off  as  many  heads  as  came  within  their 
reach.  Whatever  might  have  been  the  ingenuity 
of  the  proposed  mode  of  attack,  there  was  certainly 
no  little  in  the  dispositions  for  defence.  It  was 
instantly  seen  by  every  one  that  these  were  not  to 
be  encountered  with  success  by  any  means  which 
Mr.  Fulton  had  then  prepared.  This  he  at  once 
acknowledged,  but  expressed  his  confidence  that  he 
should  find  means  of  surmounting  them.  One  of 
the  gentlemen  appointed  by  the  Government  to 
attend  these  experiments,  in  his  report  to  the  Se- 
cretary of  the  Navy,  says : 

"A  vessel  of  war,  surrounded  by  large  booms  and  spars, 
with  nets  as  deep  as  the  water  hanging  from  her  bows,  with 
her  rigging  loaded  with  weighty  pieces  of  iron,  and  with 
grapnel  and  shot  suspended  from  her  yards  to  guard  against 
torpedoes,  and  with  chains  to  guard  her  cables,  must  be 
much  less  wieldy,  and  of  course  much  less  formidable  for 
attack  or  defence,  than  she  would  be  without  such  incum- 
brances." 

The  report  adds : 

"An  invention  which  will  oblige  every  hostile  vessel 
that  enters  our  ports  to  guard  herself  by  such  means,  can- 
not but  be  of  great  importance  in  a  system  of  defence." 


THE    CABLE-CUTTER.  127 

Mr.  Fulton  contented  himself,  for  that  time,  with 
exhibiting  a  torpedo,  and  trying  some  experiments 
with  his  harpoon  and  cable-cutter,  neither  of  which 
entirely  answered  his  expectations.  The  harpoon, 
fired  from  a  small  piece  of  ordnance  at  a  target, 
did  not  take  effect  at  so  great  a  distance  as  he 
supposed  it  would  do,  and  there  was  more  difficulty 
in  bringing  the  cable-cutter  in  contact  with  the 
cable  to  be  cut,  than  he  had  anticipated;  but  at 
that  time  he  had  not  made  his  last  improvements 
on  this  machine. 

There  was  no  contrivance  by  which  it  would 
explode  itself  at  the  proper  moment,  as  before 
described;  neither  was  it  calculated  to  fix  itself 
upon  the  cable  by  means  of  a  float  at  the  opposite 
end  of  the  line  attached  to  the  hook.  In  the  ex- 
periment whicn  Mr.  Fulton  exhibited  at  this  time, 
he  attempted  to  produce  an  explosion  by  a  long 
string  which  led  from  the  trigger  of  the  piece  to  a 
boat,  which,  after  dropping  the  machine  in  the 
water  at  a  distance  from  the  vessel,  on  the  one 
side,  was  to  row  across  her  bows  to  the  other  side, 
and  then  down  the  stream  till  the  line,  one  end  of 
which  was  fastened  to  the  machine  and  the  other 
end  to  the  boat,  brought  the  cable-cutter  in  its 
proper  position;  and  then  the  string  connected 
with  the  trigger  was  to  be  pulled  by  a  person  in 


128   THE  LIFE  OF  ROBERT  FULTON. 

the  boat.  All  this  was  certainly  too  complicated, 
and  the  assailants  were  too  much  exposed,  to  raise 
any  expectations  that  this  mode  of  attack  could  be 
practised  with  any  effect;  but  Mr.  Fulton  was 
persuaded  that  the  improvements  he  afterwards 
made  on  this  machine,  and  which  we  have  at- 
tempted to  describe,  rendered  it  very  practicable. 

After  several  attempts,  however,  Mr.  Fulton  suc- 
ceeded in  placing  his  machine,  and  with  it  cut  oif, 
several  feet  below  the  surface,  a  fourteen  inch  cable, 
which  was  attached  to  a  vessel  that  had  been 
anchored  in  the  stream  for  the  purpose. 

This  experiment  was  satisfactory,  so  far  as  not 
only  to  show  that  a  cable  might  be  cut  under  water 
by  these  means ;  but  it  proved  that  a  gun  might 
be  fired  in  that  situation  with  effect,  and  from  this 
Mr.  Fulton  took  the  idea  of  firing  under  water 
cannon  charged  with  bombs  or  balls,  which  he 
afterwards  attempted. 

Chancellor  Livingston,  after  a  long  examination 
of  each  particular  subject  which  the  experiments 
had  suggested,  expresses  himself  as  follows : 

"Upon  the  whole,  I  view  this  application  of  powder  as 
one  of  the  most  important  militarg  discoveries  which  some 
centuries  have  produced.  It  appears  to  me  to  be  capable 
of  effecting  the  absolute  security  of  your  ports  against 
naval  aggression ;  provided,  that,  in  conjunction  with  it, 
the  usual  means  necessary  to  occupy  the  attention  of  the 
enemy  are  not  neglected." 


TORPEDOES.  129 

The  rest  of  the  gentlemen  of  the  committee 
could  not  agree  with  those  who  made  separate 
reports,  farther  than  to  unite  with  them  in  a  state- 
ment which  was  but  little  more  than  a  detail  of  facts. 

These  reports  were  forwarded  to  the  Secretary 
of  the  Navy  by  Mr.  Fulton,  with  a  letter  from 
himself.  His  buoyant  mind  was  never  to  be  de- 
pressed: he  gives  his  own  views  of  the  experi- 
ments, and  writes  with  increased  confidence  in  his 
ultimate  success.  He  expresses  himself  satisfied 
with  the  report  of  the  committee,  and  thinks  their 
opinions  were  as  favourable  to  the  infant  art  as, 
under  all  circumstances,  could  have  been  expected. 

It  is  due  to  Mr.  Fulton  to  give  some  extracts 
from  this  letter.  He  says  : 

"  It  is  proved  and  admitted,  first,  that  the  water-proof 
locks  will  ignite  gunpowder  under  water ;  secondly,  it  is 
proved  that  seventy  pounds  of  powder,  exploded  under  the 
bottom  of  a  vessel  of  two  hundred  tons,  will  blow  her  up ; 
hence,  it  is  admitted  that  if  a  sufficient  quantity  of  powder 
— and  which  I  believe  need  not  be  more  than  two  hundred 
pounds — be  ignited  under  the  bottom  of  a  first-rate  man-of- 
war,  it  would  instantly  destroy  her ;  thirdly,  it  is  proved 
and  admitted,  by  all  parties  concerned  in  the  experiments, 
that  a  gun  can  be  fired  under  water,  and  that  a  cable  of 
any  size  may  be  cut  by  that  means,  at  any  required  depth. 

"With  these  immensely  important  principles  proved  and 
admitted,  the  question  naturally  occurs,  whether  there  be, 
within  the  genius  or  inventive  faculties  of  man,  the  means 
of  placing  a  torpedo  under  a  ship  in  defiance  of  her  powers 
of  resistance.  He  who  says  that  there  is  not,  and  that 

I 


130   THE  LIFE  OF  ROBERT  FULTON. 

consequently  torpedoes  never  can  be  rendered  useful,  must 
of  course  believe  that  he  has  penetrated  to  the  limits  of 
man's  inventive  powers,  and  that  he  has  contemplated  all 
the  combinations  and  arrangements  which  present  or  future 
ingenuity  can  devise,  to  place  a  torpedo  under  a  ship. 

"  I  will  do  justice  to  the  talents  of  Commodore  Rodgers. 
The  nets,  booms,  kentledge,  and  grapnels,  which  he  ar- 
ranged around  the  Argus,  made  a  formidable  appearance 
against  one  torpedo-boat  and  eight  bad  oarsmen :  I  was 
taken  unawares:  I  had  explained  to  the  officers  of  the 
navy  my  means  of  attack ;  they  did  not  inform  me  of 
their  means  of  defence  :  the  nets  were  put  down  to  the 
ground,  otherwise  I  should  have  sent  the  torpedoes  under 
them.  In  this  situation,  the  means  which  I  was  provided 
with  being  imperfect,  insignificant,  and  inadequate  to  the 
efiect  to  be  produced,  I  might  be  compared  to  what  the 
inventor  of  gunpowder  would  have  appeared  had  he  lived 
in  the  time  of  Julius  Caesar,  and  presented  himself  before 
the  gates  of  Rome  with  a  4-pounder,  and  had  endeavoured 
to  convince  the  Roman  people  that,  by  means  of  such 
machines,  he  could  batter  down  their  walls.  They  would 
have  told  him  that  a  few  catapultas,  casting  arrows  and 
stones  upon  his  men,  would  cause  them  to  retreat ;  that  a 
shower  of  rain  would  destroy  his  ill-guarded  powder ;  and 
the  Roman  centurions,  who  would  have  been  unable  to 
conceive  the  various  modes  in  which  gunpowder  has  since 
been  used  to  destroy  the  then  art  of  war,  would  very 
naturally  conclude  that  it  was  an  useless  invention ;  while 
the  manufacturers  of  catapultas,  bows,  arrows,  and  shields, 
would  be  the  most  vehement  against  further  experiments. 

"  I  had  not  one  man  instructed  in  the  use  of  the  ma- 
chines, nor  had  I  time  to  reflect  on  this  mode  of  defending 
a  vessel.  I  have  now,  however,  had  time,  and  I  feel  con- 
fident that  I  have  discovered  a  means  which  will  render 
nets  to  the  ground,  booms,  kentledge,  grapnel,  oars  with 
sword-blades,  through  the  port-holes,  and  all  such  kinds 
of  operations,  totally  useless." 


FULTON'S  EQUANIMITY  OF  MIND.     131 

It  would  not  be  doing  justice  to  Mr.  Fulton  to 
pass  over  these  transactions  without  noticing  the 
industry,  perseverance,  indefatigability,  presence  of 
mind,  and  command  of  temper,  which  they  gave 
him  an  opportunity  of  displaying.  Throughout 
the  whole  course  of  the  experiments,  no  opposition 
or  contradiction,  no  failure  or  disappointment,  irri- 
tated or  discomposed  him.  When  his  machines 
were  broken  or  disordered,  he,  with  the  utmost 
calmness  and  composure,  pointed  out  their  defects 
or  the  causes  of  his  disappointment.  If  an  expe- 
riment failed,  though  it  had  cost  him  great  pains 
and  labour  in  the  preparation,  and  although  the 
failure  was  frequently  and  obviously  owing  to  the 
awkwardness  or  unskilfulness  of  those  who  assisted 
him,  his  temper  could  not  be  disturbed :  he  would 
not  hear  the  scoffs  of  some  of  the  bystanders,  which 
were  frequently  expressed  in  whispers  intended  to 
reach  his  ear.  Not  a  fretful  or  angry  word  ever 
escaped  him  ;  and  after  a  disappointment  he  recom- 
menced his  preparations  with  the  same  ardour,  and 
with  the  same  calmness,  with  which  he  first  began : 
even  when  his  physical  strength  must  have  been 
exhausted  by  his  corporeal  exertions  and  the  ex- 
cessive fatigue  he  would  sometimes  undergo  through 
a  sultry  day,  his  spirits  were  never  for  a  moment 
depressed.  On  these  occasions,  he  showed  him- 


132   THE  LIFE  OF  ROBERT  FULTON. 

self  as  much  a  moral   as  a  mechanical   philoso- 
pher. 

After  the  conclusion  of  these  experiments,  he 
does  not  appear  to  have  turned  his  attention  to 
torpedoes  or  submarine  explosions  until  the  late^ 
war  was  declared  between  Great  Britain  and  the 
United  States.  His  mind  was  engaged  by  other 
great  and  interesting  objects.  He  had  in  the 
meantime  brought  his  system  of  navigation  by 
steam  to  such  perfection,  that  steamboats  were 
established  and  running  as  regular  packets  upon 
the  Hudson,  between  New  York  and  Albany,  and 
as  ferry-boats  across  the  bays  and  rivers. 

But  Mr.  Fulton's  thoughts  upon  submarine  war 
took  another  direction.  Having  ascertained,  by 
the  experiments  he  had  made  with  his  cable-cutter, 
that  powder  might  be  discharged  from  a  piece  of 
ordnance  under  water  with  effect,  he  conceived  the 
idea  of  forming  submarine  batteries.  With  this 
view,  he  instituted  a  number  of  experiments,  to 
try  the  practicability  and  effect  of  discharging  can- 
non loaded  with  ball  at  different  depths  under 
water. 

He  made  a  number  of  calculations  on  this  sub- 
ject :  his  desire  to  ascertain  what  resistance  a  ball 
of  given  dimensions,  propelled  with  a  certain  velo- 
city, would  meet  with  in  passing  through  a  body 


THE    SUBMARINE    BATTERY  133 

of  water  at  a  certain  depth.  The  basis  he  took 
for  these  calculations,  and  the  calculations  them- 
selves, mark  both  his  ingenuity  and  his  science. 

He  assumed  that  a  body  passing  through  water 
would  meet  with  a  resistance  equal  to  the  force  of 
a  column  of  water  of  the  same  diameter  as  the 
body  moving  with  the  given  velocity.  He  then 
ascertained  what  head  or  height  of  water  would 
be  required  to  discharge  a  stream  of  water,  from 
an  orifice  at  the  foot  of  a  perpendicular  tube,  with 
the  same  velocity  writh  which  the  boat  was  sup- 
posed to  be  propelled.  He  then,  by  the  well- 
known  rules  of  hydraulics,  found  what  force  or 
power  the  ascertained  head  of  water  would  give, 
and  thence  formed  his  estimates  as  to  the  resist- 
ance with  which  a  body  projected  in  water  would 
meet. 

In  this  instance,  as  in  others,  he  is  not  satisfied 
with  obtaining  the  information  necessary  for  his 
particular  purpose,  but  he  establishes,  from  his 
calculations,  a  rule  which  may,  by  a  very  brief 
and  simple  arithmetical  process,  afford  all  the 
information  and  accuracy  generally  necessary  for 
practical  purposes. 

His  first  experiment  was  with  a  4-pounder,  hav- 
ing the  breech,  and  as  much  of  the  gun  as  is 
usually  within  the  sides  of  a  vessel,  in  a  water- 
12 


134   THE  LIFE  OF  ROBERT  FULTON. 

tight  box,  and  the  muzzle  stopped  with  a  tompion : 
the  box  and  gun  were  then  submerged  three  feet 
in  the  Hudson :  the  gun  was  fired  by  dropping  a 
live  coal  through  a  tin  tube  which  penetrated  the 
box  immediately  above  the  vent  of  the  gun,  and 
rose  above  the  surface  of  the  water :  the  ball  was 
found  to  have  struck  the  sand  at  the  bottom  of 
the  river,  at  the  distance  of  forty-one  feet  from  the 
muzzle.  The  gun  was  uninjured.  This  experi- 
ment satisfied  him  that  guns  might  be  placed  in  a 
ship,  below  her  water-line,  with  their  breech  on 
board  and  their  muzzles  in  the  water,  without  any 
more  danger  of  their  bursting  than  there  is  when 
they  are  fired  in  the  air.  This  gave  him  the  idea 
of  arming  ships  with  guns  to  be  fired  in  this  way. 

He  proposed  that  the  muzzle  of  the  gun  made 
for  this  purpose  should  recoil  through  a  stuffing- 
box,  and  be  followed  by  a  valve  which  would 
exclude  the  water  when  the  gun  was  not  protruded. 
An  elegant  model  of  this  construction  is  now  in 
possession  of  his  family. 

He  next  tried  the  same  piece  with  a  pound  and 
a  half  of  powder,  and  fired  it,  by  means  of  one  of^ 
his  water-tight  locks,  when  it  was  entirely  in 
water,  three  feet  below  the  surface :  the  ball  pene- 
trated eleven  and  a  half  inches  into  a  target  of 
pine  logs,  which  had  been  prepared  for  the  purpose, 


THE    SUBMARINE    BATTERY.  135 

and  placed  beneath  the  water  at  the  distance  of 
twelve  feet  from  the  piece. 

His  next  experiment  was  with  a  columbiad 
carrying  an  hundred  pound  ball,  fired  at  the  tar- 
get, as  in  the  last  instance :  all  that  we  know  is 
that  the  ball  tore  the  target  in  pieces,  and  that  the 
cannon  was  uninjured. 

We  have  not  information  that  will  enable  us  to 
give  any  further  details  of  this  experiment;  but 
we  know  that  Mr.  Fulton  was  entirely  satisfied 
with  the  result.  He  proposed  to  use  cannon  in 
this  way  by  suspending  them,  two  for  instance, 
from  the  bows  of  the  vessel.  A  single  shot,  as  he 
demonstrates,  from  a  piece  of  large  calibre,  which 
should  break  into  the  side  of  a  ship  at  any  consi- 
derable depth  beneath  the  water-line,  must  be  fatal 
to  her.  And  though  the  range  of  shot  fired  through 
water,  may  be  but  a  few  feet,  yet  conflicting  ves- 
sels, whenever  they  engage  yard-arm  and  yard-arm, 
with  accounts  of  which  our  naval  heroes  have  made 
us  so  familiar,  must  be  so  near  as  to  give  effect  to  a 
submarine  discharge. 

Mr.  Fulton  did  not  propose  that  these  guns 
should  be  always  in  the  water;  but  that  they 
should  be  suspended  so  as  to  be  raised  when  the 
vessel  was  not  in  action. 

The  plans  for  the  submarine  use  of  cannon  were 


136   THE  LIFE  OF  ROBERT  FULTON. 

submitted  to  one  of  our  most  distinguished  naval 
commanders,  who  gave  them  his  decided  approba- 
tion. 

He  expressed  a  strong  opinion  that  such  an 
attack  would  be  fatal  to  any  vessel  exposed  to  it, 
and  that  it  would  be  extremely  difficult  for  an 
enemy  to  evade  an  attempt,  made  with  sufficient 
resolution,  to  destroy  her  by  these  means. 

In  1813,  Mr.  Fulton  took  out  a  patent  "for 
several  improvements  in  the  art  of  maritime  war- 
fare, and  means  of  injuring  and  destroying  ships 
and  vessels  of  war  by  igniting  gunpowder  under 
water,  or  by  igniting  gunpowder  below  a  line  hori- 
zontal to  the  surface  of  the  water,  or  so  igniting 
gunpowder  that  the  explosion  which  causes  injury 
to  the  vessel  attacked  shall  be  under  water." 

He  communicated  to  Mr.  Jefferson  an  account 
of  his  experiments  on  submarine  firing,  with  draw- 
ings of  his  various  plans.  Mr.  Jefferson  expressed 
himself  much  pleased  with  this  novel  mode  of 
maritime  warfare,  and  assured  Mr.  Fulton  that  he 
would  recommend  it  to  the  attention  of  Govern- 
ment. 

It  is  curious  to  observe  how  Mr.  Fulton's  projects 
grew  one  out  of  another :  the  submarine  guns  gave 
rise  to  the  steam  man-of-war. 


THE    SUBMARINE    BATTERY.  137 

It  having  been  suggested,  by  the  distinguished 
naval  officer  before  alluded  to,  that,  in  approaching 
an  enemy  so  near  as  was  necessary  to  give  effect  to 
submarine  cannon,  the  vessel,  if  she  were  rigged  in 
the  ordinary  way,  would  be  liable  to  be  entangled 
with  her  adversary.  To  meet  this  objection,  Mr. 
Fulton  proposed  to  move  the  vessel  by  steam.  His 
reflections  on  this  project,  and  what  he  saw  of  the 
performance  of  so  large  a  vessel  as  the  "  Fulton," — 
her  speed,  and  the  facility  with  which  she  was 
managed — led  him  to  conceive  that  a  vessel  of  war 
might  be  constructed,  in  which,  to  all  the  advan- 
tages possessed  by  those  now  in  use,  might  be 
added  the  very  important  ones  which  she  would 
derive  from  being  propelled  by  steam  as  well  as  by 
the  winds. 


12* 


CHAPTER  VII. 

SUBMARINE     NAVIGATION,     AND     PLUNGING- 
BOAT. 

IN  December,  1797,  he  made  an  experiment,  in 
company  with  Mr.  Barlow,  on  the  Seine,  with  a 
machine  which  he  had  constructed,  and  by  which 
he  designed  to  impart  to  carcasses  of  gunpowder  a 
progressive  motion  under  water,  to  a  given  point, 
and  there  to  explode  them.  But  he  was  disap- 
pointed in  the  performance  of  this  machine. 

He  continued,  however,  to  employ  his  mind  and 
talents  on  this  subject,  and  to  make  a  variety  of 
experiments,  with  a  view  to  the  accomplishment 
of  his  object,  —  of  which  experiments  very  inte- 
resting particulars  are  preserved  among  his  papers, 
— until  he  had  perfected  the  plan  for  his  submarine 
boat,  as  it  was  afterwards  executed. 

A  want  of  funds  to  enable  him  to  carry  his 
plans  into  execution,  induced  him  to  apply  to  the 
French  Directory.  They  at  first  gave  him  great 
reason  to  expect  their  countenance  and  encourage- 
ment ;  but,  after  a  long  and  irksome  attendance  on 

(138) 


SUBMARINE    NAVIGATION.  139 

the  public  offices,  to  his  great  surprise  and  disap- 
pointment, he  received  a  note  from  the  Minister  of 
War,  informing  him  that  the  Directory  had  totally 
rejected  his  plan. 

Mr.  Fulton  was  never  to  be  discouraged;  and 
he  proposed  to  build  submarine  boats  —  "to  deliver 
France  and  the  whole  world  from  British  oppression" 

But  the  French  government  changed.  Bona- 
parte placed  himself  at  the  head  of  it,  with  the 
title  of  First  Consul. 

Mr.  Fulton  soon  presented  an  address  to  him, 
soliciting  him  to  patronize  the  project  of  submarine 
navigation,  and  praying  him  to  appoint  a  commis- 
sion, with  sufficient  funds  and  powers,  to  give  the 
necessary  assistance. 

This  request  was  immediately  granted,  and  the 
citizens  Volney,  La  Place,  and  Monge,  were  named 
the  commissioners. 

In  the  spring  of  the  year  1801,  Mr.  Fulton 
repaired  to  Brest,  to  make  experiments  with  the 
plunging-boat  he  had  constructed  the  preceding 
winter.  This,  as  he  says,  had  many  imperfections, 
natural  to  a  first  machine  of  such  complicated 
combinations.  Added  to  this,  it  had  suffered  much 
injury  from  rust,  in  consequence  of  his  having  been 
obliged  to  use  iron,  instead  of  brass  or  copper,  for 
bolts  and  arbours. 


140   THE  LIFE  OF  ROBERT  FULTON. 

Notwithstanding  these  disadvantages,  he  engaged 
in  a  course  of  experiments  with  the  machine,  which 
required  no  less  courage  than  energy  and  perseve- 
rance. Of  his  proceedings,  he  made  a  report ;  from 
which  report  we  learn  the  following  interesting 
facts : 

On  the  3d  of  July,  1801,  he  embarked  with 
three  companions  on  board  his  plunging-boat,  in 
the  harbor  of  Brest,  and  descended  in  it  to  the 
depth  of  five,  ten,  fifteen,  and  so  on  to  twenty-five 
feet ;  but  he  did  not  attempt  to  go  lower,  because 
he  found  that  his  imperfect  machine  would  not 
bear  the  pressure  of  a  greater  depth.  He  remained 
below  the  surface  one  hour.  During  this  time, 
they  were  in  utter  darkness.  Afterwards  he  de- 
scended with  candles;  but  finding  a  great  disad- 
vantage from  their  consumption  of  vital  air,  he 
caused,  previously  to  his  next  experiment,  a  small 
window  of  thick  glass  to  be  made  near  the  bow  of 
his  boat,  and  he  again  descended  with  her  on  the 
24th  of  July,  1801.  He  found  that  he  received 
from  his  window,  or  rather  aperture  covered  with 
glass, — for  it  was  no  more  than  an  inch  and  a  half 
in  diameter, — sufficient  light  to  enable  him  to  count 
the  minutes  on  his  watch.  Having  satisfied  him- 
self that  he  could  have  sufficient  light  when  under 
water;  that  he  could  do  without  fresh  air  for  a 


The 

7i2iaiqedwi8iJftist  and.  Seals,  struc&.cts  ^ncwd.  Ifetwe&t  Ch^o/i^r 
cuid  Lowei'  Tvcutei's  z>t  th<c  7iaJ'Z>oicr  trfJji'&ff.  July  Ijffj 


The 


SUBMARINE    NAVIGATION.  141 

considerable  time;  that  he  could  descend  to  any 
depth,  and  rise  to  the  surface  with  facility,  his 
next  object  was  to  try  her  movements,  as  well  on 
the  surface  as  beneath  it.  On  the  26th  of  July, 
he  weighed  his  anchor  and  hoisted  his  sails :  his 
boat  had  one  mast,  a  mainsail,  and  a  jib.  There 
was  only  a  light  breeze,  and  therefore  she  did  not 
move  on  the  surface  at  more  than  the  rate  of  two 
miles  an  hour;  but  it  was  found  that  she  would 
tack  and  steer,  and  sail  on  a  wind  or  before  it,  as 
well  as  any  common  sailing  boat.  He  then  struck 
her  mast  and  sails ;  to  do  which,  and  perfectly  to 
prepare  the  boat  for  plunging,  required  about  two 
minutes.  Having  plunged  to  a  certain  depth,  he 
placed  two  men  at  the  engine  which  was  intended 
to  give  her  progressive  motion,  and  one  at  the 
helm,  while  he,  with  a  barometer  before  him,  go- 
verned the  machine  which  kept  her  balanced  be- 
tween the  upper  and  lower  waters.  He  found 
that,  with  the  exertion  of  one  hand  only,  he  could 
keep  her  at  any  depth  he  pleased.  The  propelling 
engine  was  then  put  in  motion,  and  he  found,  upon 
coming  to  the  surface,  that  he  had,  in  about  seven 
minutes,  made  a  progress  of  four  hundred  meters, 
or  about  five  hundred  yards.  He  then  again 
plunged,  turned  her  round  while  under  water,  and 
returned  to  near  the  place  he  began  to  move  from. 


142   THE  LIFE  OF  ROBERT  FULTON. 

He  repeated  his  experiment  several  days  succes- 
sively, until  he  became  familiar  with  the  operation 
of  the  machinery  and  the  movements  of  the  boat. 
He  found  that  she  was  as  obedient  to  her  helm, 
under  water,  as  any  boat  could  be  on  the  surface, 
and  that  the  magnetic  needle  traversed  as  well  in 
the  one  situation  as  in  the  other. 

On  the  7th  of  August,  Mr.  Fulton  again  de- 
scended, with  a  store  of  atmospheric  air  compressed 
into  a  copper  globe  of  a  cubic  foot  capacity,  into 
which  two  hundred  atmospheres  were  forced.  Thus 
prepared,  he  descended  with  three  companions  to 
the  depth  of  about  five  feet.  At  the  expiration 
of  an  hour  and  forty  minutes,  he  began  to  take 
small  supplies  of  pure  air  from  his  reservoir,  and 
did  so,  as  he  found  occasion,  for  four  hours  and 
twenty  minutes.  At  the  expiration  of  this  time, 
he  came  to  the  surface,  without  having  experienced 
any  inconvenience  from  having  been  so  long  under 
water. 

Mr.  Fulton  was  highly  satisfied  with  the  success 
of  these  experiments :  it  determined  him  to  try 
the  effects  of  these  inventions  on  the  English  ships 
which  were  then  blockading  the  coast  of  France, 
and  were  daily  near  the  harbor  of  Brest. 

His  boat  at  this  time  he  called  the  submarine 
boat,  or  the  plunging-boat:  he  afterwards  gave  it 


THE    PLUNGING-BOAT.  143 

the  name  of  the  "  NAUTILUS  :"  connected  with  this 
machine  were  what  he  then  called  submarine 
bombs,  to  which  he  subsequently  gave  the  name 
of  torpedoes.  This  invention  preceded  the  "  NAU- 
TILUS." It  was,  indeed,  his  desire  of  discovering 
the  means  of  applying  his  torpedoes  that  turned 
his  thoughts  to  a  submarine  boat.  Satisfied  with 
the  performance  of  his  boat,  his  next  object  was 
to  make  some  experiments  with  his  torpedoes.  A 
small  shallop  was  anchored  in  the  roads,  with  a 
bomb  containing  about  twenty  pounds  of  powder : 
he  approached  to  about  within  two  hundred  yards 
of  the  anchored  vessel,  struck  her  with  the  torpedo, 
and  blew  her  into  atoms.  A  column  of  water  and 
fragments  was  thrown  or  blown  from  eighty  to  one 
hundred  feet  in  the  air.  This  experiment  was 
made  in  the  presence  of  the  prefect  of  the  depart- 
ment, Admiral  Yillaret,  and  a  multitude  of  spec- 
tators. 

St.  Aubin,  a  member  of  the  Tribunate,  gives,  in 
the  Journal  of  Commerce  of  the  20th  of  January, 
1802,  an  account  of  a  submarine  boat  which  he 
says  Mr.  Fulton  was  then  constructing.  In  this, 
however,  there  is  a  mistake.  Mr.  Fulton  had  pro- 
jected another  boat  of  this  description,  upon  a 
larger  and  an  improved  plan ;  but  he  had  not  the 
means  of  executing  it,  and  all  his  experiments 


144   THE  LIFE  OF  EGBERT  FULTON. 

were  made  with  the  small  boat  he  first  constructed, 
and  which,  as  we  have  before  remarked,  he  found, 
at  the  end  of  the  winter,  much  impaired  by  the 
rusting  of  some  parts  of  the  machinery.  St. 
Aubin's  account  is  as  follows : 

u. 

"  The  diving-boat,  in  the  construction  of  which  he  is 
now  employed,  will  be  capacious  enough  to  contain  eight 
men  and  provision  for  twenty  days,  and  will  be  of  suffi- 
cient strength  and  power  to  enable  him  to  plunge  one 
hundred  feet  under  water,  if  necessary.  He  has  contrived 
a  reservoir  of  air,  which  will  enable  eight  men  to  remain 
under  water  eight  hours.  When  the  boat  is  above  water, 
it  has  two  sails,  and  looks  just  like  a  common  boat ;  when 
it  is  to  dive,  the  mast  and  sails  are  struck. 

"In  making  his  experiments,  Mr.  Fulton  not  only  re- 
mained a  whole  hour  under  water,  with  three  of  his  com- 
panions, but  had  the  boat  parallel  to  the  horizon  at  any 
given  distance.  He  proved  that  the  compass  points  as 
correctly  under  water  as  on  the  surface,  and  that,  while 
under  water,  the  boat  made  way  at  the  rate  of  half  a 
league  an  hour,  by  means  contrived  for  that  purpose. 

"  It  is  not  twenty  years  since  all  Europe  was  astonished 
at  the  first  ascension  of  men  in  balloons :  perhaps,  in  a  few 
years,  they  will  not  be  less  surprised  to  see  a  flotilla  of 
diving-boats,  which,  on  a  given  signal,  shall,  to  avoid 
the  pursuit  of  an  enemy,  plunge  under  water,  and  rise 
again  several  leagues  from  the  place  where  they  de- 
scended ! 

"  But  if  we  have  not  succeeded  in  steering  the  balloon, 
and  even  were  it  impossible  to  attain  that  object,  the  case 
is  different  with  the  diving-boat,  which  can  be  conducted 
under  water  in  the  same  manner  as  upon  the  surface.  It 
has  the  advantage  of  sailing  like  the  common  boat,  and 
also  of  diving  when  it  is  pursued.  With  these  qualities,  it 


THE    PLUNGING-BOAT.  145 

is  fit  for  carrying  secret  orders,  to  succour  a  blockaded 
fort,  and  to  examine  the  force  and  position  of  an  enemy 
in  their  harbors.  These  are  sure  and  evident  benefits 
which  the  diving-boat  at  present  promises.  But  who  can 
see  all  the  consequences  of  this  discovery,  or  the  improve- 
ments of  which  it  is  susceptible  ?  Mr.  Fulton  has  already 
added  to  his  boat  a  machine  by  means  of  which  he  blew  up 
a  large  boat  in  the  port  of  Brest ;  and  if,  by  future  expe- 
riments, the  same  effect  could  be  produced  in  frigates  or 
ships  of  the  line,  what  will  become  of  maritime  wars,  and 
where  will  sailors  be  found  to  man  ships  of  war,  when  it  is 
a  physical  certainty  that  they  may  at  any  moment  be 
blown  into  the  air  by  means  of  diving-boats,  against  which 
no  human  foresight  can  guard  them  ?" 

In  all  Fulton's  negotiations  with  the  British 
Government,  he  presented  himself  as  an  Ameri- 
can; and  when  it  was  proposed  that  he  should, 
for  a  considerable  reward,  suppress  his  inventions, 
so  th  j;ht  be  buried,  and  that  neither  his 

owe  country  nor  the  rest  of  the  world  could  derive 
troiii  them  tho^  advantages  which  he  thought  they 
would  aflbrd,  he  indignantly  rejected  the  overture. 
This  will  appear  from  his  written  communication 
with  the  British  ministry,  extracts  from  which  we 
shall  now  present,  though  by  doing  so  the  order  of 
events  will  be  a  little  anticipated. 

In  a  paper  which  Mr.  Fulton  read  to  certain 
gentlemen  who  were  appointed  by  the  British 
Ministry,  in  the  month  of  August,  1806,  to  confer 
with  him,  he  says : 

13  K 


146   THE  LIFE  OF  ROBERT  FULTON. 

"At  all  events,  whatever  may  be  your  award,  I  never 
will  consent  to  let  these  inventions  lie  dormant  should  my 
country  at  any  -time  have  need  of  them.  Were  you  to 
grant  me  the  annuity  of  twenty  thousand  pounds  a-year, 
I  ivould  sacrifice  all  to  the  safety  and  independence  of  my 
country." 

He  concludes  a  letter  to  Lord  Grenville  in  the 
following  words  : 

"  It  never  has  been  my  intention  to  hide  these  inventions 
from  the  world,  on  any  consideration.  On  the  contrary, 
it  has  ever  been  my  intention  to  make  them  public  as  soon 
as  may  be  consistent  with  strict  justice  to  all  with  whom  I 
am  concerned.  For  myself,  I  have  ever  considered  the 
interest  of  America,  free  commerce,  the  interest  of  man- 
kind, the  magnitude  of  the  object  in  view,  and  the  rational 
reputation  connected  with  it,  superior  to  all  calculations 
of  a  pecuniary  nature." 

These  are  the  sentiments  of  a  man  who  had 
confidence  in  the  rectitude  of  his  conduct.  It  is 
very  possible  that  Mr.  Fulton,  on  withdrawing 
from  France,  was  also  in  some  measure  influenced 
by  an  aversion  to  the  new  character  which  the 
government  assumed  on  the  accession  of  Napoleon 
to  the  consular  dignity. 

In  a  letter  to  Lord  Melville,  Mr.  Fulton  expressed 
himself  as  follows : 

"There  is  no  project,  flattering  to  vanity,  which  is  too 
extravagant  for  men  who  consider  conquest  and  military 
fame  as  the  most  estimable  of  all  acquirements.  Alexan- 
der, Gringhis  Khan,  and  Bonaparte,  have  been  guided  by 
similar  sentiments.  In  writing  this  letter,  I  feel  no  en- 


FULTON'S  POLITICAL  OPINIONS.   147 

mity  to  the  people  of  France,  or  any  other  people  ;  on  the 
contrary,  I  ^vish  their  happiness  ;  for  my  principle  is  that 
every  nation  profits  by  the  prosperity  of  its  neighbours, 
provide?  the  governments  of  its  neighbours  be  humane 
and  just.  What  is  here  said  is  directed  against  the 
tyrannic  principles  of  Bonaparte  —  a  man  who  has  set 
himself  against  all  law:  he  is,  therefore,  in  that  state 
which  Lord  Somers  compares  to  that  of  a  wild  beast,  un- 
restrained by  any  rule,  and  he  should  be  hunted  down  as 
the  enemy  of  mankind.  This,  however,  is  the  business 
of  Frenchmen.  With  regard  to  the  nations  of  Europe, 
they  can  only  hold  him  in  governable  limits  by  fencing 
him  round  with  bayonets" 


CHAPTER  VIII. 

HISTORY    OF    ORIGINAL    INVENTORS. 


"Dear  bought  the  experiment,  and  hard  the  strife 
Of  social  man,  that  reared  his  arts  to  life." 


BEFORE  giving  a  description  of  Mr.  Fulton's  in- 
ventions in  steam  navigation,  it  may  not  be  amiss 
to  show  that  numerous  individuals  had  endeavoured 
to  accomplish  that  which  only  Mr.  Fulton's  gigan- 
tic mind  could  properly  conceive  and  practically 
perfect.  The  different  modes  of  propelling  vessels 
on  the  seas  form  a  striking  and  peculiar  picture  in 
the  eventful  history  of  man :  levers  in  the  shape 
of  oars,  paddle-wheels,  condensed  air,  horse-power, 
explosive  force  of  gunpowder,  and  the  fall  of  water, 
were  proposed ;  but  all  have  vanished  before  the 
triumphant  use  of  steam.  Many  controversies 
have  existed,  and  much  paper  wasted,  respecting 
the  nature  and  construction  of  the  various  steam- 
boats; and  whilst  each  inventor  has  deservedly 
received  the  highest  praise  and  applause  for  his 
own  wonderful  invention,  it  was  Fulton,  and  Ful- 

(148) 


THE    RESULTS    OF    STEAM.  149 

ton  only,  who  grasped  hold  of  the  reins  of  the  all- 
powerful  STEAM-ENGINE  OF  WATT,  and  harnessing  it, 
like  a  snorting  steed,  to  his  leviathan  car,  he  lashed 
its  foaming  sides,  and  giving  it  liberty,  it 

"  Rode  the  waters  like  a  thing  of  life," 

and  startled  old  Neptune  from  the  lowest  depths 
of  the  ocean,  to  yield  his  trident  to  the  boldest 
commander  of  the  waves. 

We  now  live  in  a  new  age,  and  the  day  has 
gone  by  that  an  inventor  can  be  ridiculed  with 
impunity.  Mind,  genius,  and  talent,  have  pro- 
duced the  most  extraordinary  results : 

"That  teach  the  tempered  soul,  at  one  vast  view, 
To  glance  o'er  time  and  look  existence  throV 

The  mountains  have  been  levelled,  the  valleys 
filled  up,  and  the  fiery  chariot  drives  along  our 
plains ;  and,  for  business  or  pleasure,  the  traveller 
mounts  the  "lightning-trains,"  to  convey  him  from 
place  to  place ;  and  whilst  the  modest,  unassuming 
Morse,  by  the  lightning's  flash  delivers  the  mes- 
sages of  nations  from  pole  to  pole,  the  enterprising 
merchants  of  the  East  are  crowding  the  swiftest, 
boldest  steamers  of  the  seas,  that  madden  with  the 
strength  they  gain,  bound  the  billowy  main,  and 
onward  sweep,  between  the  rising  and  the  setting 
sun,  to  heap  their  treasures  in  the  Western  World, 
13* 


150   THE  LIFE  OF  ROBERT  FULTON. 

and  establish  the  truth  that  England,  France,  and 
America,  with  one  accord,  proclaim  the  glory  of 
Fulton. 

Many  eminent  and  ingenious  men  proposed  to 
propel  vessels  by  steam  power;  and  amongst  thet 
number  were  Dr.  Papin,  a  Frenchman,  Savery,  the 
Marquis  of  Worcester,  and  Dr.  John  Allen,  of 
London,  in  1726.  In  1786,  Oliver  Evans,  of  Phila- 
delphia, and  about  the  same  time  Dr.  Benjamin 
Franklin  proposed  to  propel  a  vessel  by  the  imme- 
diate action  of  the  steam  upon  water,  forcing  a 
column  of  water  through  a  channel,  for  that  pur- 
pose, in  the  keel  out  at  the  stern. 

In  justice  to  the  more  successful  inventors  who 
left  some  lasting  testimony  of  their  contrivances, 
it  affords  us  pleasure  to  represent  their  inventions 
as  correctly  as  it  was  possible  for  us  to  obtain 
the  same;  and  whatever  ideas  they  may  have 
had,  they  perseveringly  endeavoured  to  exhibit. 
They  proved  that  steam  power  could  be  applied 
to  navigation,  but  they  did  not  succeed  in  accom- 
plishing the  application  to  perfection.  They  evinced, 
in  a  manner,  great  practical  knowledge,  and  their^ 
experiments  were  of  such  vast  importance  as  to 
command  the  respect  and  honour  cf  their  country- 
men ;  but  still  they  did  not  possess  that  rare  union 
of  genius  and  science  so  as  to  attain  and  achieve 


ORIGINAL    INVENTORS.  151 

the  great  triumph  of  steamboat  navigation.  The 
first  patent  on  record  to  propel  a  vessel  by  steam 
power,  is  that  of  JONATHAN  HULLS,  who  published 
a  pamphlet,  in  1737,  describing  it  as  a  means  of 
towing  other  vessels  out  of  harbor  against  tide  and 
winds.  This  was  the  first  paddle-wheel  driven  by 
steam  power,  and  the  idea  of  placing  the  wheel  in 
the  stern  occurred  to  the  inventor  as  being  the 
proper  place  for  it,  because  that  water-fowl,  ducks 
and  geese,  pushed  their  web  feet  behind  them. 

In  1787,  MR.  JAMES  EUMSEY,  of  Sheppardstown, 
Virginia,  made  a  public  experiment  on  the  Potomac 
river.  His  boat  was  about  eighty  feet  long,  and 
was  propelled  by  a  steam-engine  which  worked  a 
vertical  pump  in  the  middle  of  the  vessel,  by  which 
the  water  was  drawn  in  at  the  bow,  and  expelled 
at  the  stern  through  a  horizontal  trunk  in  her 
bottom.  The  reaction  of  the  effluent  water  car- 
ried her  at  the  rate  of  four  miles  an  hour  when 
loaded  with  three  tons,  in  addition  to  the  weight 
of  her  engine,  of  about  one-third  of  a  ton.  The 
boiler  held  no  more  than  five  gallons  of  water,  and 
needed  only  a  pint  of  water  at  a  time ;  and  the 
whole  machinery  did  not  occupy  a  space  greater 
than  that  required  for  four  barrels  of  flour.  It 
seems  that  he  and  Dr.  Franklin  entertained  simi- 
lar ideas  about  the  same  time.  Mr.  Eumsey  went 


152   THE  LIFE  OF  ROBERT  FULTON. 

to  England  to  put  a  vessel  afloat  on  the  Thames, 
and  died  there  in  1793.  A  steamboat  one  hun- 
dred feet  long  was  tried  on  the  Loire,  at  Lyons, 
by  the  Marquis  de  Jeffrey.  He  used  paddles 
revolving  on  an  endless  chain.  It  was  unsuc- 
cessful. 

MR.  JOHN  FITCH'S  steamboat  was  built  in  Phila- 
delphia, and  made  several  experimental  excursions 
on  the  Delaware.  The  following  is  Mr.  Fitch's 
own  account  of  it,  in  December,  1786  : 

"The  cylinder  is  to  be  horizontal,  and  the  steam  to 
work  with  equal  force  at  each  end.  The  mode  by  which 
we  obtain  what  I  term  a  vacuum  is,  it  is  believed,  entirely 
new,  as  is  also  the  method  of  letting  the  water  into  it,  and 
throwing  it  off  against  the  atmosphere  without  any  fric- 
tion. It  is  expected  that  the  cylinder,  which  is  of  twelve 
inches  diameter,  will  move  a  clear  force  of  eleven  or  twelve 
cwt.  after  the  frictions  are  deducted :  this  force  is  to  be 
directed  against  a  wheel  of  eighteen  inches  diameter.  The 
piston  moves  about  three  feet,  and  each  vibration  of  it  gives 
the  axis  about  forty  evolutions.  Each  evolution  of  the  axis 
moves  twelve  oars  or  paddles  five  and  a  half  feet:  they 
work  perpendicularly,  and  are  represented  by  the  strokes 
of  a  paddle  of  a  canoe.  As  six  of  the  paddles  are  raised 
from  the  water,  six  more  are  entered,  and  the  two  sets  of 
paddles  make  their  strokes  of  about  eleven  feet  in  each 
evolution.  The  crank  of  the  axis  acts  upon  the  paddles 
about  one-third  of  their  length  from  their  lower  ends,  on 
which  part  of  the  oar  the  whole  force  of  the  axis  is  applied. 
The  engine  is  placed  in  the  bottom  of  the  boat  about  one- 
third  from  the  stern,  and  both  the  action  and  reaction  turn 
the  wheel  the  same  way." 


ORIGINAL    INVENTORS.  153 

He  was  an  ill-used  man.  The  distress  of  mind 
and  mortification  he  suffered  from  the  failure  of 
his  protracted  exertions,  and  his  poverty,  were  too 
much  for  him;  and  to  drown  his  reflections,  he 
had  recourse  to  the  common  but  deceptive  remedy, 
strong  drink,  in  which  he  indulged  to  excess ;  and 
retiring  to  Pittsburg,  he  ended  his  days  by  plung- 
ing into  the  Allegheny  river :  thus  terminated  the 
life  of  a  man  of  great  mechanical  resources  and 
inventive  powers,  who  should  have  received  honours 
where  he  met  with  coldness  and  neglect.  He  con- 
fidently predicted  the  future  success  of  steam  navi- 
gation. He  prophesied  that  in  less  than  a  century 
the  Western  rivers  would  be  swarming  with  steam- 
boats. It  is  said  that  lie  expressed  the  wish  to  be 
buried  on  the  shores  of  tJie  Ohio,  where  the  song  of 
t7te  boatmen  might  enliven  the  stillness  of  his  resting- 
place,  and  the  music  of  the  steam-engine  soothe  his 
spirit.  What  an  idea!  Yet  how  natural  to  the 
mind  of  an  ardent  projector,  whose  life  had  been 
devoted  to  one  darling  object,  which  it  was  not  his 
destiny  to  accomplish ! 

Mr.  Patrick  Miller,  of  Dalwinston,  Scotland,  in 
1787,  applied  steam  to  propel  a  double  vessel  with 
a  wheel  in  the  stern.  The  steam-engine  for  this 
boat  was  made  and  fitted  up  by  an  ingenious  me- 
chanic named  William  Symington,  and  which,  it  is 


154   THE  LIFE  OF  ROBERT  FULTON. 

said,  is  carefully  preserved  to  the  present  day.  The 
success  of  this  boat  was  very  gratifying,  but  it  was 
only  on  a  small  scale,  the  cylinder  being  only  four 
inches  in  diameter.  In  1789,  Mr.  Symington  again, 
under  the  direction  of  Mr.  Miller,  fitted  up  an  en- 
gine on  a  double  boat  sixty  feet  long.  This  canal- 
boat,  on  the  Forth  and  Clyde  canal,  went  at  the 
rate  of  seven  miles  per  hour,  and  was  very  pro- 
mising, as  an  experiment,  on  the  canal,  a  placid 
water,  but  could  not  be  employed  on  the  river ;  for 
unfortunately  the  boat  was  too  weak  for  the  ma- 
chinery, which  was  taken  out,  and  Mr.  Miller 
tried  no  more  experiments.  A  work  published  by 
his  son  states  that  out  of  his  private  fortune  Mr. 
Miller  spent  no  less  than  $150,000,  making  expe- 
riments for  which  he  never  received  in  return  a 
single  cent.  He  was  a  patriot  in  mechanical 
science. 


1 


mr^; 


CHAPTER  IX. 

STEAM  NAVIGATION,  AND  FULTON'S  SUCCESS 


"  Then  FULTON  looked :  beneath  his  wondering  eyea 
Gay  streamers  lengthen  round  the  seas  and  skies; 
The  countless  nations  open  all  their  stores, 
Load  every  wave  and  crowd  the  lively  shores; 
STEAMERS  in  mingling  mazes  streak  the  air, 
And  COMMERCE  triumphs  o'er  the  rage  of  war. 

From  Baltic  streams,  from  Elba's  opening  side, 
From  Rhine's  long  course  and  Texel's  labouring  tide, 
From  Gaul,  from  Albion,  tired  of  fruitless  fight, 
From  green  Hibernia,  clothed  in  recent  light, 
Hispania's  strand,  that  two  broad  oceans  lave, 
From  Senegal  and  Gambia's  golden  wave, 
Tago  the  rich,  and  Douro's  viny  shores, 
The  sweet  Canaries  and  the  soft  Azores, 
Commingling  barks  their  mutual  banners  hail, 
And  drink  by  turns  the  same  distending  gale. 
Thro'  Calpe's  strait  that  leads  the  Midland  main, 
From  Adria,  Pontus,  Nile's  resurgent  reign, 
The  sails  look  forth  and  wave  their  bandrols  high, 

o    J 

And  ask  their  breezes  from  a  broader  sky. 
Where  Asia's  isles  and  utmost  shorelands  bend, 
Like  rising  suns  the  sheeted  masts  ascend; 
Coast  after  coast  their  flowing  flags  unroll, 
From  Piemen's  rocks  to  Zembla's  ice-propped  pole, 
Where  Behring's  pass  collapsing  worlds  divides, 
Where  California  breaks  the  billowy  tides, 

(155) 


156   THE  LIFE  OF  ROBERT  FULTON. 

Peruvian  streams  their  golden  margins  boast, 
Or  Chili  bluffs  or  Plata  flats  the  coast. 
Where,  clothed  in  splendour,  his  Atlantic  way 
Spreads  the  blue  borders  of  Hesperian  day, 
From  all  his  havens,  with  majestic  sweep, 
The  swiftest,  boldest  STEAMSHIPS  of  the  deep 
Swarm  forth  before  him,  till  the  cloudlike  train 
From  pole  to  pole  o'ersheet  the  whitening  main." 


WE  must  now  revert  to  an  early  period  of  Mr. 
Fulton's  life,  to  trace  from  the  beginning  the  pro- 
gress of  that  great  improvement  in  the  arts  for 
which  we  and  all  the  world  are  so  much  indebted 
to  him  —  we  mean  the  practical  establishment  of 
navigation  by  steam. 

At  what  time  his  attention  was  first  directed  to 
this  subject,  we  do  not  know ;  but  it  is  ascertained 
that,  in  the  year  1793,  he  had  matured  a  plan  in 
which,  even  at  that  early  day,  he  had  great  con- 
fidence. The  evidence  of  this  is  his  letter  to  the 
Earl  of  Stanhope,  to  which  we  have  before  adverted. 
This  letter  is  dated  the  30th  of  September,  1793. 
The  answer  from  Lord  Stanhope  is  dated  the  7th 
of  the  following  October,  at  Holdsworthy,  Devon, 
and  is  as  follows : 

"  SIR  :  —  I  have  received  yours  of  the  30th  of  Septem- 
ber, in  which  you  propose  to  communicate  to  me  the  prin- 
ciples of  an  invention  which  you  say  you  have  discovered, 
respecting  the  moving  of  ships  by  the  means  of  steam.  It 
is  a  subject  on  which  I  have  made  important  discoveries. 


STEAM    NAVIGATION.  157 

I  shall  be  glad  to  receive  the  communication  which  you 
intend,  as  I  have  made  the  principles  of  mechanics  my 
particular  study,"  etc. 

The  history  of  the  discovery  of  the  power  of 
steam,  and  of  its  application  to  engines  which  have 
been  made  for  its  use,  and  the  progress  of  their 
improvement,  might  be  very  interesting,  but  would 
be  inapplicable  here.  Mr.  Fulton  had  indeed  given 
to  Watt  and  Bolton  instructions  for  constructing  the 
FIRST  ENGINE  WHICH  WAS  SUCCESSFULLY  USED  IN  A 
BOAT,  and  had  directed  the  parts  to  be  made  so  that 
it  might  be  arranged  in  a  manner  and  within  a 
compass  suited  to  his  purpose,  which  no  one  with  a 
less  mechanical  genius  than  himself  would  have 
been  able  to  do  so  accurately  as  it  had  been  done 
by  him ;  yet  he  made  no  pretensions  as  an  inven- 
tor with  respect  to  the  engine. 

Mr.  Fulton,  when  he  conceived  a  mechanical 
invention,  not  only  perceived  the  effect  it  would 
produce,  but  he  could  ascertain,  by  calculation,  the 
power  his  combination  would  afford,  how  far  it 
would  be  adequate  to  his  purpose,  and  what  would 
be  the  requisite  strength  of  every  part  of  the 
machine. 

To  Mr.  Fulton  belongs  the  great  honour  of  hav- 
ing been  the  first  who  endeavoured  to  investigate, 
on  principle,  the  difficulties  of  the  subject.     His 
14 


158   THE  LIFE  OF  ROBERT  FULTON. 

method  of  proceeding  was,  in  principle,  this :  hav- 
ing determined  the  resistance  of  the  vessel,  he 
inferred  that  the  paddles  must  experience  the  same 
resistance,  and  that  the  engine  must  exert  a  force 
at  the  centre  of  effort  of  the  paddles  equal  to  the 
resistance  of  the  paddles.  Assuming  then  the 
velocities  of  the  piston  and  paddles  as  known,  and 
equivalent  to  V  and  v,  and  the  forces  on  the  same 
as  equivalent  to  F  and  /,  he  formed  the  proportion 
V  v,  f  F ;  and  by  dividing  the  whole  force  on  the 
piston,  by  the  force  exerted  by  the  steam  on  any 
given  portion  of  its  surface,  he  obtained  the  surface 
of  the  piston  itself,  and  thence  its  diameter. 

Knowing  then  the  whole  resistance  on  the  pad- 
dles, and  supposing  only  one  paddle  on  each  side 
to  act  at  the  same  instant,  the  area  corresponding 
to  that  resistance  becomes  known,  the  half  of  which 
determines  the  surface  of  one  paddle.  Knowing 
also  from  the  number  of  strokes  made  by  the  pis- 
ton the  number  of  strokes  made  by  the  paddle- 
wheels,  the  diameter  of  the  wheel  may  be  deter- 
mined so  as  to  ensure  to  the  paddle  the  velocity 
originally  assumed.  Fulton  having  in  this  manner 
determined  the  force  necessary  to  propel  his  boat, 
and  accurately  considered  the  mode  by  which  it 
might  be  most  successfully  applied,  avoided  the 
great  error  of  his  predecessors,  viz.,  attempting  too 


STEAM    NAVIGATION.  159 

much  with  an  inadequate  power,  and  gave  to  steam 
navigation  that  splendid  and  triumphant  character 
which  it  now  possesses. 

In  none  of  those  who  have  attempted  this  great 
object  were  united  those  qualities  and  acquirements 
to  which  Mr.  Fulton  owed  his  success ;  that  is  to 
say,  a  genius  for  invention,  mathematical  and  philo- 
sophical science,  mechanical  knowledge,  and,  what  is 
rare  in  combination  with  these,  considerable  practice. 

None  of  the  projectors,  prior  to  him,  whose 
claims  have  been  set  up  to  rival  his,  have  left  any 
traces  of  calculations,  or  even  an  account  of  the 
principles  upon  which  their  machines  were  con- 
trived. They  were  among  the  multitude  that 
thought  steam  might  be  applied  to  navigation. 
They  went  to  work  to  form  a  machine,  upon  a 
crude  notion  that  it  might  be  made  to  do  some- 
thing, without  having  attempted  to  calculate  what, 
and  without  having  any  precise  plan  for  its  exe- 
cution :  when  it  did  not  answer  their  expectations, 
it  was  abandoned,  because  they  could  not  perceive 
the  cause  of  its  failure,  or  any  mode  of  making 
improvements  upon  it. 

On  the  contrary,  he  never  attempted  to  put  in 
practice  any  improvements  in  mechanics  without 
having  made  his  calculations,  drawn  his  plans,  and 
executed  his  models. 


160   THE  LIFE  OF  ROBERT  FULTON. 

A  society  in  Rotterdam  had  applied  to  the 
American  Philosophical  Society  to  be  informed 
whether  any  and  what  improvements  had  been 
made  in  the  construction  of  steam-engines  in  Ame- 
rica. The  subject  was  referred  to  Mr.  Benjamin 
H.  Latrobe,  who,  on  the  20th  of  May,  1803,  read 
to  the  Philadelphia  Society  a  report ;  from  which, 
as  it  is  recorded  in  their  Transactions,  the  following 
are  extracts : 

"During  the  general  lassitude  of  mechanical  exertion 
which  succeeded  the  American  Revolution,  the  utility  of 
steam-engines  appears  to  have  been  forgotten  ;  but  the 
subject  afterwards  started  into  very  general  notice  in  a 
form  in  which  it  could  not  possibly  be  attended  with  suc- 
cess. A  sort  of  mania  began  to  prevail,  which  indeed  has 
not  yet  entirely  subsided,  for  impelling  boats  by  steam- 
engines.  Dr.  Franklin  proposed  to  force  forward  the  boat 
by  the  immediate  application  of  the  steam  upon  the  water. 
Many  attempts  to  simplify  the  working  of  the  engine,  and 
more  to  employ  a  means  of  dispensing  with  the  beam  in 
converting  the  libratory  into  a  rotatory  motion,  were  made. 
For  a  short  time,  a  passage-boat,  rowed  by  a  steam-engine, 
was  established  between  Bordentown  and  Philadelphia,  but 
it  was  soon  laid  aside.  The  best  and  most  powerful  steam- 
engine  which  has  been  employed  for  this  purpose — except- 
ing perhaps  one  constructed  by  Dr.  Kinsey,  with  the  per- 
formance of  which  I  am  not  sufficiently  acquainted  — 
belonged  to  a  gentleman  of  New  York.  It  was  made  to 
act,  by  way  of  experiment,  upon  oars,  upon  paddles,  and 
upon  flutter-wheels  :  nothing  in  the  success  of  any  of  these 
experiments  appeared  to  be  sufficient  compensation  for  the 
expense  and  the  extreme  inconvenience  of  the  steam-engine 
in  the  vessel. 


STEAM    NAVIGATION.  161 

"  There  are,  indeed,  general  objections  to  the  use  of  the 
steam-engine  for  impelling  boats,  from  which  no  particular 
mode  of  application  can  be  free.  These  are : 

"  First :  the  weight  of  the  engine  and  of  the  fuel. 

"  Second  :  the  large  space  it  occupies. 

"  Third :  the  tendency  of  its  action  to  rack  the  vessel, 
and  render  it  leaky. 

"  Fourth  :  the  expense  of  maintenance. 

"  Fifth :  the  irregularity  of  its  motion,  and  the  motion 
of  the  water  in  the  boiler  and  cistern,  and  of  the  fuel- 
vessel  in  rough  water. 

"  Sixth :  the  difficulty  arising  from  the  liability  of  the 
paddles  and  oars  to  break,  if  light,  and  from  the  weight, 
if  made  strong. 

"  Nor  have  1  ever  heard  of  an  instance,  verified  by  other 
testimony  than  that  of  the  inventor,  of  a  speedy  and  agree- 
able voyage  having  been  performed  in  a  steamboat  of  any 
construction. 

"  I  am  well  aware  that  there  are  still  many  very  respect- 
able and  ingenious  men  who  consider  the  application  of  the 
steam-engine  to  the  purpose  of  navigation  as  highly  im- 
portant, and  as  very  practicable,  especially  on  the  rapid 
waters  of  the  Mississippi ;  and  who  would  feel  themselves 
almost  offended  at  the  expression  of  an  opposite  opinion. 
And  perhaps  some  of  the  objections  against  it  may  be 
avoided.  That  founded  on  the  expense  and  weight  of  the 
fuel  may  not,  for  some  years,  exist  on  the  Mississippi, 
where  there  is  a  redundance  of  wood  on  the  banks ;  but 
the  cutting  and  loading  will  be  almost  as  great  an  evil." 

In  speaking  of  what  had  been  done  in  this 
country  prior  to  the  running  of  his  boats,  it  would 
be  great  injustice  not  to  notice,  with  due  respect 
and  commendation,  the  enterprises  of  the  late 
Chancellor  Livingston,  who  had  so  intimate  a  con- 
14  *  L 


102       THE    LIFE    OF    ROBERT    FULTON. 

nection  with  him  in  the  progress  and  establishment 
of  this  public  benefit. 

While  Mr.  Livingston  devoted  much  of  his  own 
time  and  talents  to  the  advancement  of  science 
and  the  promotion  of  the  public  good,  he  was  fond 
of  fostering  the  discoveries  of  others.  The  resources 
of  his  ample  fortune  were  afforded  with  great  libe- 
rality, whenever  he  could  apply  them  to  the  sup- 
port and  encouragement  of  genius. 

He  entertained  very  clear  conceptions  of  what 
would  be  the  great  advantages  of  steamboats  on 
the  large  and  extensive  rivers  of  the  United  States. 
He  had  applied  himself,  with  uncommon  perseve- 
rance and  at  great  expense,  to  constructing  vessels 
and  machinery  for  that  kind  of  navigation.  As 
early  as  1798,  he  believed  that  he  had  accomplished 
his  object,  and  represented  to  the  Legislature  of  the 
State  of  New  York  that  he  was  possessed  of  a  mode 
of  applying  the  steam-engine  to  propel  a  boat  on 
new  and  advantageous  principles,  but  that  he  was 
deterred  from  carrying  it  into  effect  by  the  uncer- 
tainty and  hazard  of  a  very  expensive  experiment, 
unless  he  could  be  assured  of  an  exclusive  advan- 
tage from  it,  should  it  be  found  successful. 

The  Legislature,  in  March,  1798,  passed  an  act 
vesting  Mr.  Livingston  with  the  exclusive  right 
and  privilege  of  navigating  all  kinds  of  boats 


STEAM    NAVIGATION.  163 

which  might  be  propelled  by  the  force  of  steam  or 
fire,  on  all  the  waters  within  the  territory  or  juris- 
diction of  the  State  of  New  York,  for  the  term  of 
twenty  years  from  the  passing  of  the  act ;  upon 
condition  that  he  should,  within  a  twelvemonth, 
build  such  a  boat  the'  mean  of  whose  progress 
should  not  be  less  than  four  miles  an  hour. 

The  bill  was  introduced  into  the  House  of  As- 
sembly by  Dr.  Mitchell,  then  being  a  representative 
from  the  city.  Dr.  Mitchell  said  : 

"Upon  this  occasion,  the  wags  and  the  lawyers  in  the 
House  were  generally  opposed  to  my  bill.  I  had  to  en- 
counter all  their  jokes,  and  the  whole  of  their  logic.  One 
main  ground  of  their  objection  was,  that  it  was  an  idle 
and  whimsical  project,  unworthy  of  legislative  attention." 

A  venerable  friend,  the  late  Senator  L'Homme- 
dieu,  who  was  a  member  of  the  Senate  at  that 
time,  has  described  the  manner  in  which  this  ap- 
plication from  Mr.  Livingston  was  received  by  the 
Legislature.  He  said  it  was  a  standing  subject  of 
ridicule  throughout  the  session;  and  whenever 
there  was  a  disposition  among  the  younger  mem- 
bers to  indulge  a  little  levity,  they  would  call  up 
the  steamboat  bill,  that  they  might  divert  them- 
selves at  the  expense  of  the  project  and  its  advo- 
cates. 

In  the  American  Medical  and  Philosophical  Re- 
gister, there  is  a  piece  published  under  the  title  of 


164       THE    LIFE    OF    ROBERT    FULTON. 

"An  Historical  Account  of  the  Application  of 
Steam  for  the  propelling  of  Boats.''  This  was 
drawn  up  by  Mr.  Livingston,  and  addressed  to 
Drs.  Hosack  and  Francis,  the  editors  of  that  jour- 
nal. He  very  candidly  acknowledges  that  all  his 
efforts  had  been  unavailing.  He  explains  the 
nature  of  the  connection  between  him  and  Mr. 
Fulton,  and  shows  what  part  that  gentleman  per- 
formed in  the  experiment  which  led  to  the  accom- 
plishment of  their  object.  As  this  account,  from 
Chancellor  Livingston  himself,  must  be  very  satis- 
factory, we  shall  present  a  part  of  it,  in  an  extract 
from  the  learned  and  valuable  work  we  have  just 
mentioned : 

"  Robert  R.  Livingston,  Esq.,  when  Minister  in  France, 
met  with  Mr.  Fulton,  and  they  formed  that  friendship  and 
connection  with  each  other  to  which  a  similarity  of  pursuits 
generally  gives  birth.  He  communicated  to  Mr.  Fulton 
the  importance  of  steamboats  to  their  common  country, 
informed  him  of  what  had  been  attempted  in  America,  and 
of  his  resolution  to  resume  the  pursuit  on  his  return,  and 
advised  him  to  turn  his  attention  to  the  subject.  It  was 
agreed  between  them  to  embark  in  the  enterprise,  and 
immediately  to  make  such  experiments  as  would  enable 
them  to  determine  how  far,  in  spite  of  former  failures,  the 
object  was  attainable:  the  principal  direction  of  these1 
experiments  was  left  to  Mr.  Fulton,  who  united,  in  a  very 
considerable  degree,  practical  to  a  theoretical  knowledge 
of  mechanics.  After  trying  a  variety  of  experiments,  on 
a  small  scale,  on  models  of  his  own  invention,  it  was  un- 
derstood that  he  had  developed  the  true  principles  upon 


STEAM    NAVIGATION.  165 

which  steamboats  should  be  built,  and  for  the  want  of 
knowing  which  all  previous  experiments  had  failed.  But 
as  these  two  gentlemen  both  knew  that  many  things,  which 
were  apparently  perfect  when  tried  on  a  small  scale,  failed 
when  reduced  to  practice  upon  a  large  one,  they  determined 
to  go  to  the  expense  of  building  an  operating  boat  upon 
the  Seine.  This  was  done  in  the  year  1803,  at  their  joint 
expense,  under  the  direction  of  Mr.  Fulton ;  and  so  fully 
evinced  the  justice  of  his  principles,  that  it  was  immedi- 
ately determined  to  enrich  their  country  by  the  valuable 
discovery  as  soon  as  they  should  meet  there,  and  in  the 
meantime  to  order  an  engine  to  be  made  in  England.  On 
the  arrival  at  New  York  of  Mr.  Fulton,  which  was  not  till 
1806,  they  immediately  engaged  in  building  a  boat  of, 
what  was  then  considered,  very  considerable  dimensions. 

"  This  boat  began  to  navigate  the  Hudson  river  in  1807 : 
its  progress  through  the  water  was  at  the  rate  of  five  miles 
an  hour." 

We  have  seen  that  Mr.  Fulton's  mind,  previously 
to  his  return  to  this  country,  had  long  been  directed 
to  the  project  of  propelling  vessels  by  steam :  we 
know  that,  prior  to  1793,  he  had  exercised  his 
thoughts  on  this  subject. 

u  The  application  of  steam  to  navigation  had  been 
thought  of  by  all  artists,  but  the  means  of  executing  it 
were  wanting,  and  Fulton  furnished  them." 

It  may  be  well  to  remark  here,  that  the  idea  of 
propelling  vessels  by  water-wheels,  which  at  pre- 
sent are  believed  to  be  essential  to  the  success  of 
steamboats,  had  occurred  to  Dr.  Franklin ;  but  ha 
rejected  them  as  impracticable,  and  with  his  essay 


166   THE  LIFE  OF  ROBERT  FULTON. 

read  before  the  American  Philosophical  Society, 
referred  to  by  Mr.  Latrobe  in  his  answers  to  the 
Eotterdam  Society,  which  we  have  before  noticed, 
Dr.  Franklin  gives  a  drawing  of  a  water-wheel, 
accompanied  with  what  he  supposes  to  be  a  de- 
monstration that  they  cannot  be  used  to  any 
advantage. 

The  experimental  boat  of  Mr.  Livingston  and 
Mr.  Fulton  was  completed  early  in  the  spring  of 
1803,  to  be  propelled  with  paddle-wheels,  on  the 
Seine,  in  France  :  they  were  on  the  point  of  making 
an  experiment  with  her,  when  one  morning,  as  Mr. 
Fulton  was  rising  from  a  bed  in  which  anxiety  had 
given  him  but  little  rest,  a  messenger  from  the 
boat,  whose  precipitation  and  apparent  consternation 
announced  that  he  was  the  bearer  of  bad  tidings, 
presented  himself  to  him,  and  exclaimed,  in  ac- 
cents of  despair:  "Oh,  sir!  the  boat  has  broken 
in  pieces,  and  gone  to  the  bottom !"  Mr.  Fulton, 
who  himself  related  the  anecdote,  declared  that 
this  news  created  a  despondency  which  he  had 
never  felt  on  any  other  occasion;  but  this  was 
only  a  momentary  sensation. 

Upon  examination,  he  found  that  the  boat  had 
been  too  weakly  framed  to  bear  the  great  weight 
of  the  machinery,  and  that,  in  consequence  of  an 
agitation  of  the  river  by  wind  the  preceding  night, 


STEAM    NAVIGATION.  167 

what  the  messenger  had  represented  had  literally 
happened.  The  boat  had  broken  in  two,  and  the 
weight  of  her  machinery  had  carried  her  fragments 
to  the  bottom.  It  appeared  to  him,  as  he  said, 
that  the  fruits  of  so  many  months'  labour,  and  so 
much  expense,  were  annihilated;  and  an  opportu- 
nity of  demonstrating  the  efficacy  of  his  plan  was 
denied  him  at  the  moment  he  had  promised  it 
should  be  displayed.  His  disappointment  and  feel- 
ings may  easily  be  imagined,  but  they  did  not 
check  his  perseverance.  On  the  very  day  that 
this  misfortune  happened,  he  commenced  repairing 
it.  He  did  not  sit  down  idly  to  repine  at  misfor- 
tune which  his  manly  exertions  might  remedy,  or 
waste  in  fruitless  lamentations  a  moment  of  that 
time  in  which  the  accident  might  be  repaired. 
Without  returning  to  his  lodgings,  he  immediately 
began  to  labour  with  his  own  hands  to  raise  the 
boat,  and  worked  twenty-four  hours  incessantly, 
without  allowing  himself  rest  or  taking  refresh- 
ment—  an  imprudence  which,  as  he  always  sup- 
posed, had  a  permanent  bad  effect  on  his  consti- 
tution, and  to  which  he  imputed  much  of  his 
subsequent  bad  health. 

The  accident  did  the  machinery  very  little  injury; 
but  they  were  obliged  to  build  the  boat  almost  en- 
tirely new  :  she  was  completed  in  July  :  her  length 


168   THE  LIFE  OF  ROBERT  FULTON. 

was  sixty-six  feet,  and  she  was  eight  feet  wide. 
Early  in  August,  Mr.  Fulton  addressed  a  letter  to 
the  French  National  Institute,  inviting  them  to 
witness  a  trial  of  his  boat,  which  was  made  in  their 
presence,  and  in  the  presence  of  a  great  multitude 
of  the  Parisians.  The  experiment  was  entirely 
satisfactory  to  Mr.  Fulton,  though  the  boat  did  not 
move  altogether  with  as  much  speed  as  he  expected. 
But  he  imputed  her  moving  so  slowly  to  the  ex- 
tremely defective  fabrication  of  the  machinery,  and 
to  imperfections  which  were  to  be  expected  in  the 
first  experiment  with  so  complicated  a  machine, 
but  which  he  saw  might  be  easily  remedied. 

Such  entire  confidence  did  he  acquire  from  this 
experiment,  that  immediately  afterwards  he  wrote 
to  Messrs.  Watt  and  Bolton,  of  Birmingham,  Eng- 
land, ordering  certain  parts  of  a  steam-engine  to  be 
made  for  him,  and  sent  to  America.  He  did  not 
disclose  to  them  for  what  purpose  the  engine  was 
intended;  but  his  directions  were  such  as  would 
produce  the  parts  of  an  engine,  that  might  be  put 
together  within  a  compass  suited  for  a  boat.  Mr. 
Fulton  then  designed  to  return  to  America  imme- 
diately; but,  as  we  have  seen,  he  first  visited 
England,  and  then  probably  gave  new  orders  on 
this  subject,  as  the  engine  which  was  employed  in 
the  first  American  Fulton  boat  was  of  the  manu- 


FULTON'S  FIRST  AMERICAN  BOAT.    169 

facture  of  Messrs.  Watt  and  Bolton ;  but  it  did  not 
arrive  in  America  till  long  after  the  time  we  are 
speaking  of. 

Very  soon  after  Mr.  Fulton's  arrival  in  New 
York  city,  lie  commenced  building  his  first  Ame- 
rican boat :  while  she  was  constructing,  he  found 
that  her  expenses  would  greatly  exceed  his  calcu- 
lation. He  endeavoured  to  lessen  the  pressure  on 
his  own  finances  by  offering  one-third  of  the  exclu- 
sive right  which  was  secured  to  him  and  Mr. 
Livingston  by  the  laws  of  New  York,  and  of  his 
patent  rights,  for  a  proportionate  contribution  to 
the  expense.  He  made  this  offer  to  several  gen- 
tlemen, and  it  was  very  generally  known  that  he 
had  made  such  propositions ;  but  no  one  was  then 
willing  to  afford  this  aid  to  his  enterprise. 

In  the  spring  of  1807,  the  first  Fulton  boat  built 
in  this  country  was  launched  from  the  ship-yards 
of  Charles  Brown,  on  the  East  river.  The  engine 
from  England  was  put  on  board  of  her :  in  August, 
she  was  completed,  and  was  moved  by  her  machi- 
nery from  her  birthplace  to  the  Jersey  shore.  Mr. 
Livingston  and  Mr.  Fulton  had  invited  many  of 
their  friends  to  witness  the  first  trial :  among  them 
were  the  learned  Drs.  Mitchell  and  M'Nevin,  to 
whom  the  country  is  indebted  for  some  account  of 
what  passed  on  that  occasion.  Nothing  could 
15 


170   THE  LIFE  OF  ROBERT  FULTON. 

exceed  the  surprise  and  admiration  of  all  who 
witnessed  the  experiment.  The  minds  of  the 
most  incredulous,  who  had  styled  the  boat  "  Ful- 
ton's Folly,"  were  changed  in  a  few  minutes.  Be- 
fore the  boat  had  made  the  progress  of  a  quarter 
of  a  mile,  the  greatest  unbeliever  must  have  been 
converted.  The  man  who,  while  he  looked  on  the 
expensive  machine,  thanked  his  stars  that  he  had 
more  wisdom  than  to  waste  his  money  on  such  idle 
schemes,  changed  the  expression  of  his  features  as 
the  boat  moved  from  the  wharf  and  gained  her 
speed :  his  complacent  smile  gradually  stiffened 
into  an  expression  of  wonder. 

The  jeers  of  the  ignorant,  who  had  neither  sense 
nor  feeling  enough  to  suppress  their  contemptuous 
ridicule  and  rude  jokes,  were  silenced  for  a  moment 
by  a  vulgar  astonishment  which  deprived  them  of 
the  power  of  utterance,  till  the  triumph  of  genius 
extorted  from  the  incredulous  multitude  which 
crowded  the  shores,  shouts  and  acclamations  of 
congratulation  and  applause. 

The  boat  had  not  been  long  under  way,  when 
Fulton  ordered  her  engine  to  be  stopped.  Though 
her  performance  so  far  exceeded  the  expectations 
of  every  other  person,  and  no  one  but  himself 
thought  she  could  be  improved,  he  immediately 
perceived  that  there  was  a  defect  in  the  construe- 


I 


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FULTON'S  FIRST  AMERICAN  BOAT.    171 

tion  of  her  water-wheels:  he  had  their  diameter 
lessened,  so  that  the  buckets  took  less  hold  of  the 
water ;  and  when  they  were  again  put  in  motion, 
it  was  manifest  that  the  alteration  had  increased 
the  speed  of  the  boat.  It  may  well  be  said  that 
the  man  of  genius  and  knowledge  has  a  sense 
beyond  those  which  are  common  to  others,  or  that 
he  sees  with  different  eyes.  How  many  would 
have  gazed  on  these  ill-proportioned  wheels  with- 
out perceiving  that  they  were  imperfect ! 

This  boat,  which  was  called  the  "CLERMONT," 
soon  after  sailed,  from  a  dock  near  the  State  Prison, 
for  Albany.  It  is  announced,  in  the  newspapers 
of  that  date,  that  the  boat  built  by  Messrs.  Living- 
ston and  Fulton,  with  a  view  to  the  navigation  of 
the  Mississippi  river  from  New  Orleans  upwards, 
would  depart  for  Albany  in  the  afternoon.  Indeed, 
this  was  according  to  the  general  impression  at  the 
time.  For  though  the  performance  of  this  boat 
had  been  witnessed  in  New  York  harbor,  yet  it 
was  not  conceived  that  steamboats  could  be  em- 
ployed as  packet-boats  between  that  city  and 
Albany. 

The  "CLERMONT,"  was  160  tons.  The  cylinder 
was  twenty-four  inches  in  diameter  and  four  feet 
stroke,  and  on  her  first  voyage,  arrived  at  her 
destination  without  any  accident.  She  excited 


172       THE    LIFE    OF    ROBERT    FULTON". 

the  astonishment  of  the  inhabitants  of  the  shores 
of  the  Hudson,  many  of  whom  had  not  heard  of 
an  engine,  much  less  of  a  steamboat.  There  were 
many  descriptions  of  the  effects  of  her  appearance 
upon  the  people  of  the  banks  of  the  river :  some 
of  these  were  ridiculous,  but  some  of  them  were 
of  such  a  character  as  nothing  but  an  object  of  real 
grandeur  could  have  excited.  She  was  described, 
by  some  who  had  indistinctly  seen  her  passing  in 
the  night  to  those  who  had  not  had  a  view  of  her, 
as  a  monster  moving  on  the  waters,  defying  the 
wind  and  tide,  and  breathing  flames  and  smoke. 

She  had  the  most  terrific  appearance,  from  other 
vessels  which  were  navigating  the  river,  when  she 
was  making  her  passage.  The  first  steamboats,  as 
others  yet  do,  used  dry  pine  wood  for  fuel,  which 
sends  forth  a  column  of  ignited  vapour  many  feet 
above  the  flue,  and  whenever  the  fire  is  stirred,  a 
galaxy  of  sparks  flies  off,  and  in  the  night  have  a 
very  brilliant  and  beautiful  appearance. 

This  uncommon  light  first  attracted  the  attention 
of,  the  crews  of  other  vessels.  Notwithstanding 
the  wind  and  tide  were  adverse  to  its  approach, 
they  saw  with  astonishment  that  it  was  rapidly 
coming  towards  them ;  and  when  it  came  so  near 
as  that  the  noise  of  the  machinery  and  paddles 
were  heard,  the  crews — if  what  was  said  in  the 


FULTON'S  SUCCESS.  173 

newspapers  of  the  time  be  true — in  some  instances 
shrunk  beneath  their  decks  from  the  terrific  sight, 
and  left  their  vessels  to  go  on  shore,  while  others 
prostrated  themselves,  and  besought  Providence  to 
protect  them  from  the  approaches  of  the  horrible 
monster  which  was  marching  on  the  tides,  and 
lighting  its  path  by  the  fires  which  it  vomited. 

Mr.  Fulton  was  himself  a  passenger  on  this 
voyage,  and  upon  his  return  published  an  account 
of  it,  which  deserves  to  be  preserved.  It  is  as 
follows 

To  the  Editor  of  tlie  "American  Citizen'1 

"NEYT  YORK,  September  15,  1807. 

"  SIR  :  —  "I  arrived  this  afternoon,  at  four  o'clock,  in 
the  steamboat  from  Albany.  As  the  success  of  my  expe- 
riment gives  me  great  hopes  that  such  boats  may  be  ren- 
dered of  great  importance  to  my  country,  to  prevent  erro- 
neous opinions  and  give  some  satisfaction  to  the  friends  of 
useful  improvements,  you  will  have  the  goodness  to  publish 
the  following  statement  of  facts : 

"  I  left  New  York  on  Monday  at  one  o'clock,  and 
arrived  at  Clermont,  the  seat  of  Chancellor  Livingston,  at 
one  o'clock  on  Tuesday — time,  twenty-four  hours,  distance, 
one  hundred  and  ten  miles.  On  Wednesday,  1  departed 
from  the  Chancellor's  at  nine  in  the  morning,  and  arrived 
at  Albany  at  five  in  the  afternoon  —  distance,  forty  miles, 
time,  eight  hours.  The  sum  is  one  hundred  and  fifty  miles 
in  thirty-two  hours,  equal  to  near  five  miles  an  hour. 

"  On  Thursday,  at  nine  o'clock  in  the  morning,  I  left 
Albany,  and  arrived  at  the  Chancellor's  at  six  in  the 
evening:  I  started  from  thence  at  seven,  and  arrived  at 

15* 


174       THE    LIFE    OF    ROBERT    FULTON. 

New  York  at  four  in  the  afternoon  —  time,  thirty  hours, 
space  run  through,  one  hundred  and  fifty  miles,  equal  to 
five  miles  an  hour.  Throughout  my  whole  way,  both  going 
and  returning,  the  wind  was  ahead:  no  advantage  could 
be  derived  from  my  sails :  the  whole  has,  therefore,  been 
performed  by  the  power  of  the  steam-engine. 
"  I  am,  sir,  your  obedient  servant, 

"ROBERT  FULTON." 

He  gives  the  following  account  of  the  same 
voyage  in  a  letter  to  his  friend  Mr.  Barlow  : 

"  My  steamboat  voyage  to  Albany  and  back  has  turned 
out  rather  more  favourable  than  I  had  calculated.  The 
distance  from  New  York  to  Albany  is  one  hundred  and 
fifty  miles :  I  ran  it  up  in  thirty-two  hours,  and  down  in 
thirty.  I  had  a  light  breeze  against  me  the  whole  way, 
both  going  and  coming,  and  the  voyage  has  been  performed 
wholly  by  the  power  of  the  steam-engine.  I  overtook 
many  sloops  and  schooners  beating  to  windward,  and  parted 
with  them  as  if  they  had  been  at  anchor. 

"  The  power  of  propelling  boats  by  steam  is  now  fully 
proved.  The  morning  I  left  New  York,  there  were  not 
perhaps  thirty  persons  in  the  city  who  believed  that  the 
boat  would  ever  move  one  mile  an  hour,  or  be  of  the  least 
utility;  and  while  we  were  putting  off  from  the  wharf, 
which  was  crowded  with  spectators,  I  heard  a  number  of 
sarcastic  remarks.  This  is  the  way  in  which  ignorant  men 
compliment  what  they  call  philosophers  and  projectors. 

"  Having  employed  much  time,  money,  and  zeal,  in  ac- 
complishing this  work,  it  gives  me,  as  it  will  you,  great 
pleasure  to  see  it  fully  answer  my  expectations.  It  will 
give  a  cheap  and  quick  conveyance  to  the  merchandise  on 
the  Mississippi,  Missouri,  and  other  great  rivers,  which  are 
now  laying  open  their  treasures  to  the  enterprise  of  our 
countrymen ;  and  although  the  prospect  of  personal  emo- 
lument has  been  some  inducement  to  me,  yet  I  feel  infi- 
nitely more  pleasure  in  reflecting  on  the  immense  advan- 
tage my  country  will  derive  from  the  invention,"  etc. 


MR.  FREELAND'S  LETTER.  175 

The  passengers  on  board  the  boat,  on  her  first 
passage  as  a  Packet,  thought  it  but  just  to  publish 
a  statement,  over  their  signatures,  that  the  accom- 
modations and  conveniences  on  board  far  exceeded 
their  most  sanguine  expectations. 

To  J.  Franklin  Reigart,  Esq. 

"  SOUDERSBURG,  LANCASTER  COUNTY,  January  4th,  1856. 

"  DEAR  SIR  :  —  Having  been  informed  that  you  are 
about  to  publish  a  history  of  Robert  Fulton,  Esq.,  who  was 
distinguished  for  many  noble  inventions,  allow  me  to  state 
that  the  publication  of  the  narrative  of  facts  as  they  hap- 
pened, and  the  description  of  his  productions,  would  be 
exceedingly  interesting  to  the  admirers  of  genius  and  every 
lover  of  the  arts  and  sciences.  The  works  of  Fulton  are 
now  justly  appreciated,  and  the  citizens  of  this  matchless 
county  will  for  ever  honor  the  name  and  birthplace  of  his 
genius. 

"  It  was  in  the  early  autumn  of  the  year  1807,  that  a 
knot  of  villagers  was  gathered  on  a  high  bluff  just  oppo- 
site Poughkeepsie,  on  the  west  bank  of  the  Hudson,  at- 
tracted by  the  appearance  of  a  strange  dark-looking  craft, 
which  was  slowly  making  its  way  up  the  river.  Some 
imagined  it  to  be  a  sea-monster,  whilst  others  did  not 
hesitate  to  express  their  belief  that  it  was  a  sign  of  the 
approaching  judgment.  What  seemed  strange  in  the  ves- 
sel was  the  substitution  of  lofty  and  straight  black  smoke- 
pipes,  rising  from  the  deck,  instead  of  the  gracefully  ta- 
pered masts  that  commonly  stood  on  the  vessels  navigating 
the  stream,  and,  in  place  of  the  spars  and  rigging,  the 
curious  play  of  the  working-beam  and  pistons,  and  the 
slow  turning  and  splashing  of  the  huge  and  naked  paddle- 
wheels,  met  the  astonished  gaze.  The  dense  clouds  of 
smoke,  as  they  rose  wave  upon  wave,  added  still  more  to 
the  wonderment  of  the  rustics. 


176   THE  LIFE  OF  ROBERT  FULTON. 

"This  strange-looking  craft  was  the  "CLERMONT,"  on 
her  trial  trip  to  Albany  ;  and  of  the  little  knot  of  villagers 
mentioned  above,  the  writer,  then  a  boy  in  his  eighth  year, 
with  his  parents,  formed  a  part ;  and  I  well  remember  the 
scene,  one  so  well  fitted  to  impress  a  lasting  picture  upon 
the  mind  of  a  child  accustomed  to  watch  the  vessels  that 
passed  up  and  down  the  river. 

"  The  forms  of  four  persons  were  distinctly  visible  on 
the  deck,  as  she  passed  the  bluff — one  of  whom,  doubtless, 
was  Robert  Fulton,  who  had  on  board  with  him  all  the 
cherished  hopes  of  years,  the  most  precious  cargo  the 
wonderful  boat  could  carry. 

"On  her  return  trip,  the  curiosity  she  excited  was 
scarcely  less  intense — the  whole  country  talked  of  nothing 
but  the  sea-monster,  belching  forth  fire  and  smoke.  The 
fishermen  became  terrified,  and  rowed  homewards,  and 
they  saw  nothing  but  destruction  devastating  their  fishing- 
grounds  ;  whilst  the  wreaths  of  black  vapour,  and  rushing 
noise  of  the  paddle-wheels,  foaming  with  the  stirred-up 
waters,  produced  great  excitement  amongst  the  boatmen, 
until  it  was  more  intelligent  than  before ;  for  the  charac- 
ter of  that  curious  boat,  and  the  nature  of  the  enterprise 
which  she  was  pioneering,  had  been  ascertained.  From 
that  time,  Robert  Fulton,  Esq.,  became  known  and  respected 
as  the  author  and  builder  of  the  first  STEAM  PACKET  ;  from 
which  we  plainly  see  the  rapid  improvement  in  commerce 
and  civilization.  Who  can  doubt  that  Fulton's  first  packet 
boat  has  been  the  model  steamer  ?  Except  in  finer  finish 
and  greater  size,  there  is  no  difference  between  it  and  the 
splendid  steamships  now  crossing  the  Atlantic.  Who  can 
doubt  that  Fulton  saw  the  meeting  of  all  nations  upon  his 
boats,  gathering  together  in  unity  and  harmony,  that  the 
"freedom  of  the  seas  would  be  the  happiness  of  the  earth?" 
Who  can  doubt  that  Fulton  saw  the  world  circumnavigated 
by  steam,  and  that  his  invention  was  carrying  the  mes- 
sages of  freedom  to  every  land,  that  no  man  could  tell  all 
its  benefits,  or  describe  all  its  wonders  ?  What  a  wonder- 


HOSTILITY    TO    MR.    FULTON'S    BOAT.      177 

ful  achievement !  What  a  splendid  triumph  !  Fulton  was 
a  man  of  unparalleled  foresight  und  perseverance.  His 
character  and  genius  rise  higher  in  our  estimation,  and 
still  more  grandly  before  our  minds,  the  more  we  contem- 
plate him.  To  write  his  history  requires  the  noblest  effort, 
and  I  trust  you  will  be  able  to  accomplish  it.  With  my 
best  wishes  for  your  success,  I  subscribe  myself, 
"Very  respectfully  yours, 

"  H.  FREELAND." 

But  it  was  not  only  to  accidents  arising  from 
defects  in  the  machinery  that  the  boat  was  ex- 
posed :  it  was  soon  perceived  that  she  would  inter- 
fere with  the  interests  of  those  who  were  engaged 
in  the  ordinary  navigation  of  the  river.  By  many 
•of  these,  Mr.  Fulton  was  spoken  of  and  treated  as 
if  he  had  introduced  some  project  baneful  to  so- 
ciety. Many  attempts  were  made  to  run  the 
"CLERMONT"  down  by  captains  of  sloops,  who 
thought  their  trade  would  soon  be  gone.  The  boat 
became  an  object  of  their  enmity :  she  was  several 
times  damaged  by  vessels  running  foul  of  her,  if  we 
may  credit  the  testimony  which  was  published  in 
the  newspapers  of  the  time. 

It  is  not  unimportant  to  notice  these  facts ;  they 
illustrate  the  character  of  Mr.  Fulton.  They  show 
what  embarrassments  are  to  be  expected  by  those 
who  introduce  improvements  in  the  arts  which 
interfere  with  established  interests  or  prejudices ; 
and  they  evince  the  perseverance  and  resolution 

M 


178       THE    LIFE    OF    ROBERT    FULTON. 

which  were  necessary  to  surmount  the  physical 
and  moral  difficulties  which  Mr.  Fulton  encoun- 
tered. Sneered  at  by  his  own  countrymen,  called 
knave,  fool,  and  enthusiast,  yet  he  bravely  lived 
all  opposition  down. 

The  spirit  of  hostility  to  the  boat  had  so  far 
manifested  itself,  that  the  Legislature  thought  it 
necessary,  by  this  act,  to  declare  combinations 
to  destroy  her,  or  wilful  attempts  to  injure  her, 
public  offences,  punishable  by  fine  and  imprison- 
ment. 

Notwithstanding  her  misfortunes,  the  boat  con- 
tinued to  run  as  a  Packet,  always  loaded  with 
passengers,  for  the  remainder  of  the  summer.  In 
the  course  of  the  winter,  she  was  enlarged ;  and  in 
the  spring  of  1808,  she  again  commenced  her  run 
as  a  Packet-boat,  and  continued  it  through  the 
season.  Since  then,  steam  navigation  has  not 
ceased  for  a  single  day :  its  progress  has  been 
onward,  and,  to  the  praise  of  Eobert  Fulton,  we 
are  indebted  to  him  for  the  perfect  establishment 

Of  STEAM  NAVIGATION. 

In  1811  and  1812,  two  steamboats  were  built, 
under  Mr.  Fulton's  directions,  as  ferry-boats  for 
crossing  the  Hudson  river,  and,  soon  after,  one  of 
the  same  description  for  the  East  river.  Of  the 
former,  Mr.  Fulton  wrote  and  published  a  descrip- 


STEAM    NAVIGATION  179 

tion  in  the  American  Medical  and  Philosophical 
Eegister  for  October,  1812. 

These  boats  were  what  are  called  twin-boats;  each 
of  them  being  two  complete  hulls  united  by  a  deck 
or  bridge :  they  are  sharp  at  both  ends,  and  move 
equally  well  with  either  end  foremost,  so  that  they 
cross  and  recross  without  losing  any  time  by  turn- 
ing about.  He  contrived,  with  great  ingenuity, 
floating  docks  for  the  reception  of  these  boats,  and 
a  means  by  which  they  are  brought  to  them  with- 
out a  shock. 

In  his  publications  respecting  the  Hudson  river 
ferry-boats,  which  we  have  noticed,  he  has  the 
following  observations : 

"  In  a  new  combination  of  this  kind,  it  is  not  to  be 
expected  that  everything  should  work  to  the  best  advan- 
tage in  a  first  experiment,  or  that  every  requisite  should 
be  foreseen.  The  boat  which  I  am  now  constructing  will 
have  some  important  improvements,  particularly  in  the 
power  of  the  engine  to  overcome  strong  ebb-tides ;  from 
which  again  other  improvements  will  be  made,  as  in  all 
other  new  inventions.  The  present  boat  crosses  the  river, 
which  is  a  mile  and  a  half  broad,  when  it  is  calm,  in  fifteen 
minutes:  the  average  time  is  twenty  minutes.  She  has 
had  in  her  at  one  time  eight  four-wheel  carriages,  twenty- 
nine  horses,  and  one  hundred  passengers,  and  could  have 
taken  three  hundred  persons  more." 

If  steam  navigation  could  have  been  applied  to 
no  other  purpose  than  to  move  these  floating  bridges 
over  such  streams  as  they  cross,  where  other  bridges 


180   THE  LIFE  OF  ROBERT  FULTON. 

are  impracticable,  he  who  introduced  it  well  deserved 
to  be  ranked  among  the  benefactors  of  mankind. 

A  number  of  other  boats  were  built,  under  the 
direction  of  Mr.  Fulton  and  according  to  his  plans, 
for  steamboat  companies  formed  in  different  parts^ 
of  the  United  States:  several  of  these  were  for 
the  Ohio  and  Mississippi. 

Let  us  for  a  moment  consider  what  must  be  the 
consequences  of  introducing  this  species  of  navi- 
gation on  these  great  rivers.  Previously,  they 
were  in  a  great  measure  unnavigable,  except  in  the 
direction  of  their  currents ;  but  now  their  streams 
may  be  ascended  with  less  labour,  and  in  less  time, 
than  they  were  formerly  descended.  Never  before 
was  there  so  extraordinary  a  demonstration  that 
knowledge  is  power.  The  mind  of  an  individual 
has  contended  with  nature  in  her  grandest  form, 
and  subdued  what  appeared  to  be  her  irresistible 
opposition. 

If  he  could  have  created  other  rivers  like  the 
Mississippi  and  its  tributary  streams,  to  wind  their 
thousands  of  miles  through  fertile  valleys,  he  could 
not  have  done  so  great  a  good  as  he  has  done  by 
furnishing  the  means  of  navigating  her  waters 
against  their  currents. 

At  the  commencement  of  the  year  1814,  a  num- 
ber of  the  citizens  of  New  York,  alarmed  at  the 


STEAM    NAVIGATION.  181 

exposed  situation  of  the  harbor,  had  assembled 
with  a  view  to  consider  whether  some  measures 
might  not  be  taken  to  aid  the  Government  in  its 
protection.  This  assembly  had,  in  fact,  been  in- 
vited by  some  knowledge  of  Mr.  Fulton's  plans  for 
submarine  attack,  and  of  his  contemplating  other 
means  of  defence. 

They  deputed  a  number  of  gentlemen  to  act  for 
them,  and  these  were  called  the  coast  and  harbor- 
defence  committee. 

Mr.  Fulton  exhibited  to  this  committee  the 
model  and  plans  for  a  vessel-of-war,  to  be  propelled 
by  steam,  capable  of  carrying  a  strong  battery, 
with  furnaces  for  redhot  shot,  and  which,  he  re- 
presented, would  move  at  the  rate  of  four  miles 
an  hour. 

The  confidence  of  the  committee  in  this  design 
was  confirmed  by  the  opinions  of  many  of  our 
most  distinguished  naval  commanders,  which  he 
had  obtained  in  writing,  and  exhibited  to  the 
committee. 

In  this  document — which  is  signed  by  Commo- 
dore Decatur,  Captain  Jones,  Captain  Evans,  Cap- 
tain Biddle,  Commodore  Perry,  Captain  Warrington, 
and  Captain  Lewis — these  gallant  and  experienced 
seamen  enumerate  the  following  advantages  that 
such  a  vessel  would  possess :  In  a  calm  or  light 
16 


182   THE  LIFE  OF  ROBERT  FULTON. 

breeze,  she  could  make  choice  of  position  or  dis- 
tance. If  she  could  move  at  the  rate  of  four  miles 
an  hour,  she  could,  in  the  harbors,  bays,  and  rivers, 
be  rendered  more  formidable  than  any  kind  of  en- 
gine hitherto  invented;  and,  in  such  case,  she 
would  be  equal  to  the  destruction  of  one  or  more 
seventy-fours,  or  of  compelling  them  to  depart 
from  our  waters.  They,  therefore,  gave  it  as  their 
decided  opinion,  that  it  was  among  the  best  inte- 
rests of  the  United  States  to  carry  Mr.  Fulton's 
plan  into  immediate  execution. 

It  was  contemplated  that  this  vessel,  besides 
carrying  her  proposed  armament  on  deck,  should 
also  be  furnished  with  submarine  guns. 

The  committee,  without  delay,  addressed  a  me- 
morial to  Congress,  recommending  the  invention  of 
Mr.  Fulton,  and  praying  that  measures  might  be 
adopted  for  executing  his  plan.  With  this  memo- 
rial, the  committee  addressed  a  letter  to  the  Secre- 
tary of  the  Navy,  soliciting,  in  a  very  earnest 
manner,  his  patronage  and  influence  with  the  Go- 
vernment. Without  the  skill  and  talents,  they 
say,  of  Mr.  Fulton,  the  machine  cannot  be  con- 
structed. 

It  was  apprehended  that  there  would  be  great 
difficulty  about  funds.  On  the  one  hand,  there 
was  a  disinclination  to  make  the  project  public  by 


THE   "FULTON  THE  FIRST."         183 

inducing  a  discussion  on  the  subject  in  Congress ; 
and,  on  the  other,  it  was  doubtful  whether  the 
Executive  was  authorized  to  make  the  necessary 
appropriations  without  a  law  for  the  purpose.  To 
obviate  these  difficulties,  the  committee  offered,  in 
behalf  of  the  association  which  they  represented, 
to  construct  the  vessel  at  their  expense  and  risk, 
if  assurances  were  given  that  the  Government, 
which  alone  could  give  employment  to  her,  would 
receive  and  pay  for  her  after  she  was  built,  and 
her  utility  demonstrated.  It  was  estimated  that 
she  would  cost  about  $320,000,  nearly  the  sum 
requisite  for  a  frigate  of  the  first  class. 

This  activity  of  private  citizens  for  their  own 
protection ;  this  voluntary  offer  to  risk  their  funds, 
first,  upon  the  success  of  the  project,  and  then  upon 
a  bare  assurance  of  the  Executive  of  the  Govern- 
ment ;  and  this  intimate  intercourse  between  the 
rulers  and  the  people,  present  a  view  of  a  state 
of  society  of  which,  it  is  believed,  there  are  few 
examples. 

The  project  was  zealously  embraced  by  the  Exe- 
cutive ;  and  the  National  Legislature,  in  March, 
1814,  passed  a  law  authorizing  the  President  of 
the  United  States  to  cause  to  be  built,  equipped, 
and  employed,  one  or  more  floating  batteries,  for 
the  defence  of  the  waters  of  the  United  States. 


184   THE  LIFE  OF  ROBERT  FULTON. 

The  building  of  this  vessel  was  committed,  by 
the  coast  and  harbor-defence  association,  to  a  sub- 
committee of  five  gentlemen :  they  were  General 
Dearborn,  who  then  commanded  in  this  district, 
Colonel  Henry  Rutgers,  Oliver  Wolcot,  Samuel  L. 
Mitchell,  and  Thomas  Morris,  Esquires,  who  were 
recognized  by  the  Government  as  its  agents  for  this 
purpose. 

Mr.  Fulton,  whose  soul  indeed  animated  the 
whole  enterprise,  was  appointed  the  engineer. 

On  the  20th  of  June,  1814,  the  keel  of  this 
novel  and  mighty  engine  was  laid,  and  in  little 
more  than  four  months,  that  is,  on  the  31st  of 
October,  she  was  launched,  from  the  yard  of 
Adam  and  Noah  Brown,  her  able  and  active  archi- 
tects. 

The  scene  exhibited  on  that  occasion  was  mag- 
nificent. It  happened  on  one  of  our  bright  autum- 
nal days.  Multitudes  of  spectators  crowded  the 
surrounding  shores,  and  were  seen  upon  the  hills 
which  limited  the  beautiful  prospect.  The  river 
and  bay  were  filled  with  vessels-of-war,  dressed  in 
all  their  variety  of  colours,  in  compliment  to  the 
occasion.  In  the  midst  of  these  was  the  enormous 
floating  mass,  whose  bulk  and  unwieldy  form  seemed 
to  render  it  as  unfit  for  motion  as  the  land  batteries 
which  were  saluting  her.  Through  the  fleet  of 


THE   "FULTON  THE  FIRST."         185 

vessels  which  occupied  this  part  of  the  harbor, 
were  seen  gliding  in  every  direction  several  of  our 
large  steamboats,  of  the  burden  of  three  or  four 
hundred  tons.  These,  with  bands  of  music,  and 
crowds  of  gay  and  joyous  company,  were  winding 
through  passages  left  by  the  anchored  vessels,  as  if 
they  were  moved  by  enchantment.  The  heart 
could  not  have  been  human  that  did  not  share  in 
the  general  enthusiasm  expressed  by  the  loud  shouts 
of  the  multitude.  He  could  not  have  been  a  worthy 
citizen  who  did  not  then  say  to  himself,  with  pride 
and  exultation  :  "  This  is  my  country  !"  and  when 
he  looked  on  the  man  whose  single  genius  had 
created  the  most  interesting  objects  of  the  scene : 
"  This  is  my  countryman !" 

By  May,  1815,  her  engine  was  put  on  board,  and 
she  was  so  far  completed  as  to  afford  an  opportunity 
of  trying  her  machinery. 

But,  unhappily,  before  this  period,  the  mind 
that  had  combined  and  conceived  it  was  gone.  It 
was  the  pleasure  of  the  Almighty  that  Fulton 
should  live  to  serve  mankind,  and  .be  taken  to  a 
better  world  for  his  reward. 

On  the  4th  of  July,  in  the  same  year,  the  steam 

frigate  made  a  passage  to  the  ocean  and  back,  and 

went  the  distance  —  which,  going  and  returning,  is 

fifty-three  miles  —  in  eight  hours  and  twenty  mi- 

16* 


186   THE  LIFE  OF  ROBERT  FULTON. 

nutes,  by  the  mere  force  of  her  engine.  These 
trials  suggested  the  correction  of  some  errors,  and 
the  supplying  of  some  defects  in  her  machinery, 
In  September,  she  made  another  passage  to  the 
sea,  and  having  at  this  time  the  weight  of  her 
whole  armament  on  board,  she  went  at  an  average 
of  five  and  a  half  miles  an  hour  with  and  against 
the  tide.  When  stemming  the  tide,  which  ran  at 
the  rate  of  three  miles  an  hour,  she  advanced  at 
the  rate  of  two  and  a  half  miles  an  hour. 

The  substance  of  the  following  description  of 
the  "  FULTON  THE  FIRST,"  the  honoured  name  this 
vessel  bore,  is  extracted  from  the  report  of  the 
gentlemen  who  were  the  commissioners  for  build- 
ing her. 

She  is  a  structure  resting  on  two  boats  and  keels, 
separated  from  end  to  end  by  a  channel  fifteen  feet 
wide  and  sixty  feet  long:  one  boat  contains  the 
caldrons  of  copper  to  prepare  her  steam.  The 
cylinder  of  iron,  its  piston,  levers,  and  wheels, 
occupy  part  of  the  other.  The  water-wheel  re- 
volves in  the  space  between  them.  The  main  or 
gun-deck  supports  her  armament,  and  is  protected 
by  a  parapet  four  feet  ten  inches  thick,  of  solid 
timber,  pierced  by  embrasures.  Through  thirty 
port-holes  as  many  thirty-two  pounders  are  in- 
tended to  fire  redhot  shot,  which  can  be  heated 


THE  DEMOLQGOS  Oil  F  ULTOJST  THE  FIRST. 


ErL 


u 


*  <i  ft  '"^ 


,^;;         -***'    •***•' 


The  first  SteamVessel  of  Warm  tlu?  World. 


THE   "FULTON  THE  FIRST."         187 

with  great  safety  and  convenience.  Her  upper  or 
spar-deck,  upon  which  several  thousand  men  might 
parade,  is  encompassed  with  a  bulwark,  which 
affords  safe  quarters :  she  is  rigged  with  two  stout 
masts,  each  of  which  supports  a  large  lateen-yard 
and  sails :  she  has  two  bowsprits  and  jibs,  and  four 
rudders,  one  at  each  extremity  of  each  boat,  so 
that  she  can  be  steered  with  either  end  foremost : 
her  machinery  is  calculated  for  the  addition  of  an 
engine,  which  will  discharge  an  immense  column 
of  water,  which  it  is  intended  to  throw  upon  the 
decks  and  through  the  port-holes  of  an  enemy,  and 
thereby  deluge  her  armament  and  ammunition.  If, 
in  addition  to  all  this,  we  suppose  her  to  be  finished, 
according  to  Mr.  Fulton's  intention,  with  100-pound 
columbiads,  two  suspended  from  each  bow,  so  as  to 
discharge  a  ball  of  that  size  into  an  enemy's  ship 
at  ten  or  twelve  feet  below  the  water-line,  it  must 
be  allowed  that  she  has  the  appearance,  at  least, 
of  being  the  most  formidable  engine  for  warfare 
that  human  ingenuity  has  contrived. 

The  English  were  not  uninformed  as  to  these 
preparations  which  were  making  for  them,  nor 
inattentive  to  their  progress.  It  is  certain  that 
the  steam  frigate  lost  none  of  her  terrors  in  the 
report  or  imaginations  of  the  enemy.  In  the  trea- 
tise on  steam  vessels,  published  in  Scotland,  which 


188   THE  LIFE  OF  ROBERT  FULTON. 

we  have  before  noticed,  the  author  of  which  assures 
us  that  he  has  taken  great  pains  to  procure  full  and 
accurate  information,  we  have  a  description  of  a 
steam  frigate  said  to  have  been  launched  in  New 
York,  in  the  following  words : 

"  Length  on  deck  three  hundred  feet,  breadth  two  hun- 
dred feet,  thickness  of  her  sides,  thirteen  feet,  of  alternate 
oak  plank  and  corkwood,  carries  forty-four  guns,  four  of 
which  are  100-pounders,  quarter-deck  and  forecastle  guns, 
44-pounders ;  and  further,  to  annoy  an  enemy  attempting 
to  board,  can  discharge  one  hundred  gallons  of  boiling 
water  in  a  minute,  and  by  mechanism  brandishes  three 
hundred  cutlasses,  with  the  utmost  regularity,  over  her 
gunwales ;  works  also  an  equal  number  of  heavy  iron 
pikes  of  great  length,  darting  them  from  her  sides  with 
prodigious  force,  and  withdrawing  them  every  quarter  of 
a  minute !" 

The  committee  that  superintended  the  building 
of  the  "  FULTON  THE  FIRST/'  who  had,  from  the 
various  experiments  they  made,  the  best  opportu- 
nity of  judging  of  her  usefulness,  speak,  in  their 
last  report  to  the  Government,  with  the  highest 
confidence  in  her  powers.  They  congratulate  the 
Navy  Department  and  the  nation  on  the  event  of 
this  noble  project,  honourable  alike,  as  they  truly 
say,  to  its  author  and  its  patrons,  by  which  the 
city  of  New  York  has  the  power  to  make  itself 
invulnerable,  and  every  bay  and  harbor  in  the 
nation  may  be  protected.  The  committee  strongly 
recommend  the  vessel  to  the  care  of  the  Govern- 


THE    "MUTE."  189 

merit.  Without  due  attention,  her  machinery  will 
very  soon  become  useless.  But,  as  they  very  justly 
remark,  it  is  not  enough  to  preserve  her.  To  derive 
from  such  a  machine,  in  time  of  war,  all  the  ad- 
vantages it  is  capable  of  affording,  we  should  be 
practised  in  the  use  of  it  in  time  of  peace.  The 
expense  of  completely  arming,  equipping,  and  em- 
ploying her  sufficiently  to  afford  the  necessary 
practice,  would  not  exceed  that  of  a  frigate,  and 
it  certainly  would  be  beneficially  bestowed.  But, 
to  many  minds,  it  seems  waste  to  expend  money 
on  anything  so  long  as  it  has  the  character  of  an 
experiment. 

We  now  come  to  mention  the  last  work  in  which 
the  active  and  ingenious  mind  of  Mr.  Fulton  was 
engaged.  This  was  a  project  for  the  modification 
of  his  submarine  boat.  He  had  contrived  a  vessel 
which  was  to  have  a  capacity,  by  means  of  an  air- 
chamber,  like  that  which  was  in  his  "  NAUTILUS," 
to  be  kept  at  a  greater  or  less  depth  in  the  water, 
but  so  that  her  deck  should  not  be  submerged. 
That  chamber  communicated  with  the  water,  and 
was  shaped  like  a  diving-bell;  but  it  could  at 
pleasure,  by  an  air-pump,  be  exhausted  of  air  — 
then  it  would,  of  course,  fill  with  water,  or  any 
requisite  quantity  of  air  could  be  forced  into  it,  so 
as  to  expel  the  water  from  it  entirely. 


190   THE  LIFE  OF  ROBERT  FULTON. 

The  sides  of  the  vessel  were  to  be  of  the  ordi- 
nary thickness,  but  her  deck  was  to  be  stout,  and 
plated  with  iron,  so  as  to  render  it  ball-proof,  which 
would  not  require  so  much  strength  as  might  be 
at  first  imagined ;  because,  as  no  shot  could  strike 
it  from  a  vessel  but  at  a  very  great  angle,  the  ball 
would  reconcile  on  a  slight  resistance  from  a  hard 
substance.  She  was  to  be  of  a  size  capable  of 
sheltering  a  hundred  men  under  her  deck,  and  was 
to  be  moved  by  a  wheel  placed  in  another  air- 
chamber  near  the  stern,  so  that,  when  the  vessel 
was  to  be  propelled,  only  a  part  of  the  under  pad- 
dles should  be  in  water;  at  least  the  upper  half 
of  the  wheel  or  more  moving  in  air.  The  wheel 
was  to  be  turned  by  a  crank  attached  to  a  shaft, 
that  should  penetrate  the  stern  to  the  air-chamber 
through  a  stuffing-box,  and  run  along  the  middle 
of  the  boat  until  it  approached  her  bows.  Through 
this  shaft  rungs  were  to  be  passed,  of  which  the 
crew  were  to  take  hold  as  they  were  seated  on 
each  side  of  it  on  benches.  By  merely  pushing 
the  shaft  backward  and  forward,  the  water-wheel 
•would  be  turned,  and  the  boat  be  propelled  with  a 
velocity  equal  to  the  force  of  a  hundred  men.  By 
means  of  the  air-chamber,  she  was  to  be  kept, 
when  not  in  hostile  action,  upon  the  surface,  as 
common  boats  are.  But  when  in  reach  of  an 


THE   "MUTE."  191 

enemy,  she  was  to  sink,  so  that  nothing  but  her 
deck  would  be  exposed  to  his  view  or  to  his  fire. 
Her  motion  when  in  this  situation  would  be  per- 
fectly silent,  and  therefore  he  called  this  contri- 
vance a  mute.  His  design  was  that  she  should 
approach  an  enemy,  which  he  supposed  she  might 
do  in  fogs  or  in  the  night,  without  being  heard  or 
discovered,  and  do  execution  by  means  of  his  tor- 
pedoes or  submarine  guns. 

He  presented  a  model  of  this  vessel  to  the  Go- 
vernment, by  which  it  was  approved ;  and  under 
the  authority  of  the  Executive,  he  commenced 
building  one  in  this  port ;  but  before  the  hull  was 
entirely  finished,  his  country  had  to  lament  his 
death,  and  the  mechanics  he  had  employed  were 
incapable  of  proceeding  without  him. 


CHAPTER  X. 

CONCLUSION. 

\ 

DURING  the  whole  time  that  Mr.  Fulton  had  been 
devoting  his  talents  to  the  service  of  his  country, 
he  had  been  harassed  by  lawsuits  and  controversies 
with  those  who  were  violating  his  patent-rights  or 
intruding  upon  his  exclusive  grants.  The  State 
of  New  Jersey  had  been  prevailed  upon  to  enlist 
herself  on  the  side  of  individuals  who  were  desi- 
rous of  destroying  the  grant  made  to  Messrs.  Li- 
vingston and  Fulton  by  the  State  of  New  York, 
that  they  might  share  in  their  profits. 

A  bold  attempt  was  therefore  made  to  induce 
the  Legislature  of  the  State  of  New  York  to  repeal 
the  laws  which  they  had  passed  for  the  protection 
of  their  exclusive  grants  to  Livingston  and  Fulton. 

The  petitioner  for  this  repeal  founded  his  claim 
to  this  concession — First :  on  his  having  purchased 
the  right  of  John  Fitch  to  exclusive  grants  which 
had  been  made  to  him  by  New  Jersey  and  New 
York,  in  1786  and  1787,  for  fourteen  years,  which 
time  had  expired  thirteen  years  before  this  appli- 

(192) 


EFFORTS    TO    INJURE    FULTON.         193 

cation  was  made,  without  Fitch's  ever  having  even 
attempted  to  move  a  steamboat  on  the  waters  of 
the  States  of  New  York  or  New  Jersey,  or  having 
succeeded,  as  we  have  seen,  in  establishing  a  steam- 
boat anywhere.  It  appeared  afterwards  that  the 
petitioner  had  purchased  this  exclusive  right  of  a 
person  who  said  he  was  a  remote  relation  of  Fitch, 
and  his  legal  representative,  for  ten  dollars. 

Secondly :  it  was  represented  that  one  Daniel 
Dod  was  entitled  to  the  favour  of  the  Legislature, 
on  account  of  his  having  invented  a  method  of 
uniting,  by  what  he  called  a  parallel  link,  parts  of 
the  machinery  differently  from  that  adopted  by 
Mr.  Fulton.  Upon  these  merits,  the  petitioners 
had  obtained  their  exclusive  grant  from  New  Jer- 
sey, and  upon  these  grounds,  while  that  exclusive 
grant  was  existing  in  their  favour,  they  came  to 
ask  a  repeal  of  the  laws  of  the  State  of  New  York 
which  had  been  enacted  to  reward  Messrs.  Living- 
ston and  Fulton,  who,  after  years  of  experiment 
and  labour,  and  the  expenditure  of  a  fortune,  had 
been  the  first  to  bring  steamboats  into  successful 
operation. 

The  committee  concluded  their  report  by  pro- 
posing a  bill  containing  such  provisions  as  might, 
in  their  opinion,  be  passed  consistently  with  the 
faith,  honour,  and  justice  of  the  State. 
17  N 


194   THE  LIFE  OF  ROBERT  FULTON. 

Upon  this  report's  being  made  to  the  House,  it 
was  prevailed  upon  to  be  less  precipitate  than  the 
committee  had  been.  It  gave  time,  which  the 
committee  would  not  do,  for  Mr.  Fulton  to  be  sent 
for  from  New  York.  The  Senate  and  Assembly, 
in  joint  session,  examined  witnesses,  and  heard 
him  and  the  petitioner  by  counsel.  The  result 
was  that  the  Legislature  refused  to  repeal  the  prior 
law,  or  to  pass  any  act  on  the  subject. 

It  was  upon  this  occasion  that  his  friend  Mr. 
Emmet,  who  appeared  as  his  counsel  at  the  bar 
of  the  House,  at  the  conclusion  of  his  speech  made 
that  address  to  Fulton  which  has  been  so  much 
spoken  of,  and  which  was  at  once  such  an  evidence 
of  warmth  of  heart,  rectitude  of  principle,  and  of 
superior  abilities. 

Mr.  Emmet,  having  said  that  he  had  concluded 
the  observations  which  he  proposed  to  make,  as 
well  against  the  petition  as  the  report  of  the  com- 
mittee, and  that  he  submitted  their  force  with 
respectful  confidence  to  the  deliberation  of  the 
Legislature,  turned  towards  Mr.  Fulton,  and  ad- 
dressed him  as  follows : 

« I  know  and  feel,  and  I  rejoice  in  the  conviction,  that, 
for  the  present  at  least,  your  interests,  my  friend,  are 
perfectly  secure ;  but  do  not  therefore  flatter  yourself  that 
you  will  be  involved  in  no  future  difficulties  on  the  same 
account.  Those  whom  I  have  just  addressed  will  certainly 


EMMET'S  ADDRESS  TO  FULTON.     195 

decide  with  enlightened  liberality  and  a  scrupulous  regard 
to  public  faith  ;  but  their  power  and  authority  will  pass 
away.  Your  present  antagonist,  I  also  hope,  will  become 
convinced  by  this  discussion  of  the  impropriety  of  his 
application,  and  refrain  from  repeating  it;  but  interest 
and  avarice  will  still  raise  up  against  you  many  enemies. 
You  rely  too  implicitly  on  the  strength  of  your  rights,  and 
the  sanctity  of  the  obligations  on  which  they  are  founded. 
You  expect  too  much  from  your  well-earned  reputation, 
and  the  acknowledged  utility  to  mankind  of  your  life  and 
labours.  You  permit  your  mind  to  be  engrossed  with  vast 
and  noble  plans  for  the  public  good.  You  are  inconside- 
rately sinking  your  present  income  in  the  extension  of 
public  accommodation  by  steamboats.  You  are  gratui- 
tously giving  your  time  and  talents  to  the  construction  of 
that  great  national  object,  your  stupendous  invention  for 
maritime  defence,  which  in  itself  is  calculated  to  effect  a 
revolution  in  naval  warfare.  You  are  profusely  lavishing 
what  the  intense  and  unremitted  study  of  years  has  ac- 
quired for  you,  in  investigations  and  experiments  tending 
to  the  same  purpose.  Your  knowledge  and  your  fortune 
are  freely  bestowed  upon  everything  that  can  contribute 
to  the  advancement  of  science,  or  of  the  elegant  and 
useful  arts.  I  admire  and  applaud  you  for  your  readiness 
to  devote  to  the  service  of  the  public  the  opulence  you 
derive  from  its  grateful  remuneration.  Let  me  remind 
you,  however,  that  you  have  other  and  closer  ties — I  know 
the  pain  I  am  about  to  give,  and  I  see  the  tears  I  make 
you  shed  —  but  by  that  love  I  speak — by  that  love  which, 
like  the  light  of  Heaven,  is  refracted  in  rays  of  different 
strength  upon  your  wife  and  children ;  which,  when  col- 
lected and  combined,  forms  the  sunshine  of  your  soul  — 
by  that  love  I  do  adjure  you,  provide  in  time  for  those 
dearest  objects  of  your  care.  Think  not  I  would  instil 
into  your  generous  mind  a  mean  or  sordid  notion;  but 
now  that  wealth  is  passing  through  your  hands,  let  me 
entreat  you  hoard  it  while  you  have  it.  Artful  specula- 


196   THE  LIFE  OF  ROBERT  FULTON. 

tors  will  assuredly  arise,  with  patriotism  on  their  tongues 
and  selfishness  in  their  hearts,  who  may  mislead  some 
future  Legislature  by  false  and  crafty  declamations  against 
the  prodigality  of  their  predecessors;  who,  calumniating 
or  concealing  your  merits,  will  talk  loudly  of  your  mono- 
poly; who  will  represent  it  as  a  grievous  burden  on  the 
community,  and  not  a  compensation  for  signal  benefits; 
who  will  exaggerate  your  fortune,  and  propose,  in  the 
language  of  Marat  to  the  French  Convention :  '  Let  the 
scythe  of  equality  move  over  the  republic.'  In  a  moment 
of  delusion  —  unless  some  department  of  our  Government 
shall  constitutionally  interpose  an  adamantine  barrier 
against  national  perfidy  and  injustice,  —  such  men  may 
give  your  property  to  the  winds,  and  your  person  to  your 
creditors.  Then,  indeed,  those  who  know  your  worth  and 
services  will  speak  of  your  downfall  as  of  that  portentous 
omen  which  marked  a  people's  degradation,  and  the  suc- 
cessful crime  of  an  intruder : 

"  'A  falcon,  towering  in  his  pride  of  place, 
Was  by  a  mousing  owl  hawked  at  and  killed.' 

"  Yes,  my  friend !  my  heart  bleeds  while  I  utter  it ; 
but  I  have  fearful  forebodings  that  you  may  hereafter  find 
in  public  faith  a  broken  staff  for  your  support,  and  receive 
from  public  gratitude  a  broken  heart  for  your  reward." 

In  January,  1815,  Mr.  John  R.  Livingston,  who 
owned  the  steamboat  which  plied  between  New 
York  and  New  Jersey,  but  which  was  stopped  by 
the  operation  of  the  Jersey  laws,  petitioned  the 
Legislature  of  that  State  for  their  repeal.  After 
hearing  witnesses  and  counsel  for  several  days,  the 
laws  were  rescinded.  It  was  upon  this  occasion 
that  Mr.  Fulton  was  examined  as  a  witness.  The 
weather,  while  he  was  at  Trenton,  where  he  was 


FULTON'S  DEATH.  197 

much  exposed  in  attending  the  hall  of  the  Legis- 
lature, was  uncommonly  cold.  When  he  was  cross- 
ing the  Hudson,  to  return  to  his  house  and  family, 
the  river  was  very  full  of  ice,  which  occasioned 
his  being  several  hours  on  the  water,  in  a  very 
severe  day.  Mr.  Fulton  had  not  a  constitution  to 
encounter  such  exposure,  and  upon  his  return  he 
found  himself  much  indisposed  from  the  effects  of 
it.  He  had  at  that  time  great  anxiety  about  the 
steam  frigate;  and,  after  confining  himself  for  a 
few  days,  when  he  was  convalescent,  he  went  to 
give  his  superintendence  to  the  artificers  employed 
about  her :  he  forgot  his  debilitated  state  of  health 
in  the  interest  he  took  in  what  was  doing  on  the 
frigate,  and  was  a  long  time,  in  a  bad  day,  exposed 
to  the  weather  on  her  decks.  He  soon  found  the 
effects  of  this  imprudence.  His  indisposition  re- 
turned upon  him  with  such  violence  as  to  confine 
him  to  his  bed :  his  disorder  increased,  and  on  the 
24th  of  February,  1815,  terminated  his  valuable 
life. 

It  was  not  known  that  Mr.  Fulton's  illness  was 
dangerous  till  a  very  short  time  before  his  death, 
which  was  unexpected  by  his  friends,  and  still  less 
so  by  the  community.  As  soon  as  it  was  known, 
all  means  were  taken  to  testify  publicly  the  uni- 
versal regret  at  his  loss,  and  respect  for  his  me- 


198   THE  LIFE  OF  ROBERT  FULTON. 

mory.  The  newspapers  that  announced  the  event 
had  those  marks  of  mourning  which  are  used  in 
our  country  when  they  notice  the  death  of  public 
characters.  The  corporation  of  the  city,  the  diffe- 
rent literary  institutions,  and  other  societies,  as- 
sembled and  passed  resolutions  expressing  their 
estimation  of  his  worth  and  regret  at  his  loss. 
They  also  determined  to  attend  his  funeral,  and 
that  the  members  should  wear  badges  of  mourning 
for  a  certain  time. 

As  soon  as  the  Legislature,  which  was  then  in 
session  at  Albany,  heard  of  the  death  of  Mr.  Ful- 
ton, they  expressed  their  participation  in  the  gene- 
ral sentiment  by  resolving  that  the  members  of 
both  Houses  should  wear  mourning  for  some  weeks. 

This  is  the  only  instance,  we  believe,  of  such 
public  testimonials  of  regret,  esteem,  and  respect, 
being  offered  on  the  death  of  a  private  citizen, 
who  never  held  any  office,  and  was  only  distin- 
guished by  his  virtues,  genius,  and  the  employ- 
ment of  his  talents. 

He  was  buried  on  the  25th  day  of  February, 
1815.  His  corpse  was  attended  from  his  last  resi- 
dence—  No.  1  State  street — by  all  the  officers  of 
the  National  and  State  Governments  then  in  the 
city,  by  the  magistracy,  the  common  council,  a 
number  of  societies,  and  a  greater  number  of  citi- 


FULTON'S  FUNERAL  OBSEQUIES.      199 

zens  than  had  beon  collected  on  any  similar  occa- 
sion. From  the  time  the  procession  began  to  move 
till  it  arrived  at  Trinity  Church,  minute-guns  were 
fired  from  the  steam  frigate  and  the  West  Battery. 
His  body,  in  a  leaden  coffin,  covered  with  plain 
mahogany,  on  which  is  a  metal  plate  engraved 
with  his  name  and  age,  was  deposited  in  a  vault 
belonging  to  the  Livingston  family. 

Mr.  Golden,  in  his  address  before  the  Historical 
and  Scientific  Society  of  New  York,  said : 

"We  have  all  witnessed  with  what  zeal  Mr.  Fulton  be- 
stowed his  time,  his  talents,  and  his  purse,  for  the  promo- 
tion of  the  useful  and  the  fine  arts.  One  of  the  last  acts 
of  his  life  manifested  this  disposition.  By  his  will,  which 
was  made  but  a  few  days  before  his  death,  he  devised  that, 
in  certain  events,  his  pictures,  and  one-half  of  his  property 
not  otherwise  disposed  of,  should  go  to  an  academy  of  fine 
arts,  when  such  an  academy  should  be  established  at  the 
place  which  may  be  the  seat  of  the  National  Governme:  t. 

"  In  1816,  a  principal  street,  which  is  the  great  tho- 
roughfare across  the  city  of  New  York,  from  the  Fulton 
Boat-Ferry  on  the  one  river  to  a  similar  ferry  on  the  other, 
was  opened.  This  the  corporation  of  the  city,  always  the 
patrons  of  science  and  the  friends  of  its  votaries,  have 
called  Fulton  street." 

In  the  year  1806,  Mr.  Fulton  married  Miss  Har- 
riet Livingston,  a  daughter  of  Walter  Livingston, 
Esq.,  a  relative  of  his  enterprising  associate,  Chan- 
cellor Livingston.  His  widow  and  four  children, 
one  son  and  three  daughters,  were  left  to  mourn 


200   THE  LIFE  OF  ROBERT  FULTON. 

his  loss.  The  widow  did  not  long  survive  him. 
His  son,  Eobert  Barlow  Fulton,  died  in  1841.  One 
of  his  daughters,  Julia,  wife  of  Charles  Blythe, 
Esq.,  of  Philadelphia  city,  died  in  1848.  The  two 
surviving  daughters,  Mrs.  Mary  L.  Ludlow  and 
Mrs.  Cornelia  L.  Creary,  reside  at  present  in  New 
York  city. 

Mr.  Fulton  was  ahout  six  feet  high.  His  person 
was  slender,  but  well-proportioned  and  well-formed. 
Nature  had  made  him  a  gentleman,  and  bestowed 
upon  him  ease  and  gracefulness.  He  had  too  much 
good  sense  for  the  least  affectation,  and  a  modest 
confidence  in  his  own  worth  and  talents  gave  him 
an  unembarrassed  deportment  in  all  companies. 
His  features  were  strong,  and  of  a  manly  beauty : 
he  had  large  dark  eyes,  and  a  projecting  brow, 
expressive  of  intelligence  and  thought :  his  temper 
was  mild,  and  his  disposition  lively :  he  was  fond 
of  society,  which  he  always  enlivened  by  cheerful, 
cordial  manners,  and  instructed  or  pleased  by  his 
sensible  conversation.  He  expressed  himself  with 
energy,  fluency,  and  correctness;  and  as  he  owed 
more  to  his  experience  and  reflections  than  to 
books,  his  sentiments  were  often  interesting  from 
their  originality. 

In  all  his  domestic  and  social  relations,  he  was 
zealous,  kind,  generous,  liberal,  and  affectionate. 


- 


THE     GRAVE     OF       FULTON. 


Trinity  CmBrcKyarcL™  Broadway  ifew  Yor~k. 


FULTON'S  CHARACTER.  201 

He  knew  of  no  use  for  money  but  as  it  was  sub- 
servient to  charity,  hospitality,  and  the  sciences. 
But  what  was  most  conspicuous  in  his  character 
was  his  calm  constancy,  his  industry,  and  that 
indefatigable  patience  and  perseverance  which  al- 
ways enabled  him  to  overcome  difficulties. 

He  was  decidedly  a  republican.  The  determi- 
nation which  he  always  avowed,  that  he  would 
never  accept  an  office,  is  an  evidence  of  the  disin- 
terestedness of  his  politics;  but  his  zeal  for  his 
opinions  or  party  did  not  extinguish  his  kindness 
for  the  merits  of  his  opponents.  Society  will  long 
remember  and  regret  him;  but  he  will  be  most 
remembered  by  those  by  whom  he  was  best  known. 

We  are  well  acquainted  with  that  charming 
spot,  the  birthplace  of  Robert  Fulton,  and  we  felt 
a  desire  to  see  his  tomb ;  and  during  a  late  visit 
to  New  York  city,  through  tne  politeness  of  Dr. 
Theodore  F.  Engelbrecht  and  the  sexton  of  Trinity 
churchyard,  we  were  conducted  to  the  spot  where 
his  remains  are  deposited.  A  brown  sandstone, 
two  by  three  feet  square,  covers  the  vault,  upon 
which  is  inscribed :  "  The  vault  of  Walter  and 
Robert  C.  Livingston,  sons  of  Robert  Livingston, 
of  the  Manor  of  Livingston." 

The  vault  has  lately  been  repaired,  and  the 
coffin,  with  the  inscription  of  Fulton's  name  upon 


202   THE  LIFE  OF  ROBERT  FULTON. 

it,  is  still  in  a  good  state  of  preservation;  and 
whilst  we  stood  beside  the  grave,  which  had  not 
even  a  stone  to  mark  the  resting-place  of  tjiis  far- 
famed  inventor,  we  were  forcibly  reminded  of  the 
words  the  talented  Emmet  addressed  to  Mr. 
Fulton : 

"  Yes,  my  friend  !  my  heart  bleeds  while  I  utter  it,  but 
I  have  fearful  forebodings  that  you  may  hereafter  find  in 
public  faith  a  broken  staff  for  your  support,  and  receive 
from  public  gratitude  a  broken  heart  for  your  reward." 

Ay !  the  grass  is  higher  than  the  Fulton  monu- 
ment! and  what  became  of  all  the  proceeds  of 
Fulton's  labour,  and  of  his  useful  inventions  ?  His 
talents,  his  industry,  his  perseverance,  his  indefati- 
gable application,  have  promoted  the  good  of  his 
country  and  the  prosperity  of  the  world ;  but  who 
now  possess  the  reward  of  his  superhuman  labours? 
And  what  has  become  of  his  magnificent  gallery 
of  paintings,  which  the  United  States  Government 
should  have  secured  at  any  price  ?  It  is  the  gene- 
ral impression,  throughout  the  country  and  the 
world,  that  Robert  Fulton,  Esq.,  died  penniless; 
and  it  is  well  known  that  his  worthy  heirs  have 
never  enjoyed  the  fruits  of  his  extraordinary  talents. 
That  a  great  wrong  has  been  committed  somewhere 
is  evident ;  and  by  reference  to  his  last  will  and 
testament,  and  other  public  documents,  hereto  an- 
nexed, it  will  be  seen. 


FULTON'S  FINANCIAL  AFFAIRS.    203 

Kobert  Fulton  died  whilst  in  the  service  of  the 
United  States  Government,  and  although  he  had 
been  engaged  for  years  in  devoting  his  time  and 
talents  to  what  he  and  the  Government  officers 
knew  and  believed  to  be  the  best  interests  of  our 
country,  still  the  public  records  show  that  this 
Government  was  indebted  to  his  estate  upwards 
of  $100,000,  for  moneys  actually  expended  and 
services  rendered  by  him,  agreeably  to  contract. 

The  bill,  which  was  for  the  relief  of  the  heirs 
of  Robert  Fulton,  Esq.,  was  ten  years  in  Congress 
before  it  finally  became  a  law,  although  it  had 
repeatedly  passed  both  Houses  of  Congress;  and 
when  this  bill  was  under  discussion  in  the  House 
of  Representatives,  on  its  final  passage,  in  July, 
1846,  the  American  Aristides,  the  venerable  sage 
of  Quincy,  rose  in  his  seat,  and  stated  to  the  House 
that  "  he  had  thoroughly  examined  the  bill  and  the 
proof  in  support  of  it,  and  the  claim  was  founded 
both  in  law  and  justice,  and  that  it  was  a  disgrace 
to  the  nation  that  it  had  not  long  before  been  paid." 

The  Hon.  John  Strohrn,  the  member  from  Lan- 
caster county,  Pa.,  had  also  carefully  examined  the 
bill,  and  urged  its  passage,  as  a  just  claim  against 
the  Government;  because  the  steamboat  "VESU- 
VIUS," owned  by  Robert  Fulton,  plying  between 
New  Orleans  and  Louisville,  in  Kentucky,  whilst 


204       THE    LIFE    OF    ROBERT    FULTON. 

pursuing  a  most  profitable  business,  —  being  the 
only  steamboat  then  upon  the  Mississippi  —  was 
forcibly  seized  by  General  Jackson,  during  the  war, 
and  taken  into  the  service  for  the  defence  of  New 
Orleans ;  nor  had  Mr.  Fulton  ever  received  any 
compensation  for  the  use  of  his  patent  for  the 
floating  battery,  or  his  services  in  the  construction 
of  this  great  defensive  structure. 

Congress  passed  a  joint  resolution  referring  the 
subject  to  the  Secretary  of  the  Navy,  who  made 
report,  allowing  the  heirs,  as  a  balance  due  the 
estate,  $100,000.  The  committee  of  claims  brought 
in  a  bill  for  $76,300,  to  carry  into  effect  the  Secre- 
tary's report ;  and  the  bill  allowing  the  heirs  their 
just  claim  for  $76,300  was  passed  in  the  House  by 
a  vote  of  ninety  to  sixty-seven,  and  in  the  Senate 
by  eighteen  majority,  thirty-one  years  after  the 
death  of  Fulton,  although  honestly  due  him  at  the 
time  of  his  death. 

Mr.  Fulton  had  secured  to  himself  the  right  of 
a  patent  for  "constructing  steam  frigates,  the  whole 
benefit  of  which  resulted  to  the  United  States;  and 
yet  the  extraordinary  efforts  of  the  great  and  suc- 
cessful inventor  were  disparaged,  whilst  the  authors 
of  a  revolver  or  California  speculation  have  been 
promoted  and  protected  in  the  enjoyment  of  mil- 
lions of  dollars;  and  the  poorest  specimen  of  hu- 


CONCLUDING    REMARKS.  205 

inanity,  with  a  tinselled  epaulette  on  his  shoulder, 
for  having  butchered  a  few  poor  Indians,  had  re- 
ceived a  pension  for  life,  been  honored  with  the 
richest   offices,    and    at   his    death    a   conspicuous 
monument  was  erected  to  his  memory.     Is  it  possi- 
ble that  Robert  Fulton  died  penniless,  although  he 
was  the  inventor  and  builder  of  some  fifteen  or 
twenty  steamboats,  which  cost  from  fifty  to  eighty 
thousand  dollars  each,  and  which  were  in  successful 
operation?  —  that  the  hero  of  inventors,  who  dis- 
played so  much  talent,  industry,  perseverance,  and 
interest  for  his  country's  good,  in  steam  and  inland 
navigation,  should  die  in  poverty,  destitution,  and 
want,  and  his  family  impoverished  ?   It  is  not  true. 
By  his  superhuman  efforts  he  did  amass  a  fortune, 
he  did  accumulate  wealth ;  but  the  ungrateful  and 
envious  robbed  him  of  it;   whilst  his  discoveries 
and  the  result  of  his  labours  survive  for  the  benefit 
of  mankind,  and  will  extend  to  unborn  generations, 
to  upbraid  their  ingratitude ;  and  the  great  legacy 
which  the  immortal  Fulton  entailed  upon  his  coun- 
trymen—  "to  be  a  great  inventor" — will  some  day 
be  shown  upon  a  towering  monument,  emblazoned 
with  his  unparalleled  and  eternal  motto :   "  THE 
FREEDOM  OF  THE  SEAS  WILL  BE  THE  HAPPINESS  OF 
THE  EARTH!" 
18 


CHAPTER  XI. 

THE    LAST    WILL    AND    TESTAMENT    OF    ROBERT 
FULTON. 

NEW  YORK,  December  13,  1814.  —  I,  Robert  Ful- 
ton, being  in  good  health  and  possessing  my  usual 
understanding,  make  this,  my  last  will,  hereby 
revoking  all  other  wills  which  I  have  made  : 

Out  of  the  annual  profits  arising  from  my  steam- 
boats, and,  in  case  of  that  not  proving  sufficient, 
then  out  of  any  other  property  or  profits  arising 
from  my  real  or  personal — 

I  leave  to  my  wife,  Harriet  Fulton,  born  Living- 
ston, nine  thousand  dollars  a-year  during  her  life, 
and  then  devolve  to  my  heirs,  as  hereinafter 
stated. 

Out  of  the  profits  of  my  steamboats,  or  any 
other  of  my  property,  real  or  personal,  I  leave  to 
my  said  wife  five  hundred  dollars  a-year  for  each 
of  my  children,  until  they  respectively  attain  the 
age  of  twelve  years ;  and  from  that  age  until  each 
in  succession  attains  the  age  of  twenty-one  years, 

(206) 


LAST    WILL    AND    TESTAMENT.          207 

one  thousand  dollars  a-year  for  each,  which  sum 
shall  be  made  use  of  as  his  or  her  legal  right  to 
pay  for  education,  clothing,  boarding,  lodging,  and 
all  other  expenses. 

All  my  household  furniture,  carriages,  horses, 
plate,  pictures,  and  everything  which  constitutes 
my  household  establishment,  as  also  my  town 
house,  should  I  purchase  or  build  one  for  my  resi- 
dence, I  leave  to  my  said  wife  during  her  life :  at 
her  death,  my  house,  with  its  fixtures,  pictures, 
library,  and  plate,  shall  go  to  the  eldest  son  which 
I  shall  then  have  living,  and  the  residue  of  said 
establishment  may  be  disposed  of  as  my  said  wife 
may  think  proper,  in  her  will.  Should  I  not  have 
a  son  then  living,  my  PICTURES  shall  go  to  an  aca- 
demy of  arts,  when  such  academy  shall  be  esta- 
blished at  the  place  which  shall  be  the  seat  of  the 
Government  of  the  United  States;  and  all  my 
other  property,  connected  with  my  household  esta- 
blishment, may  be  disposed  of  by  my  said  wife  as 
she  shall  think  proper.  My  said  wife's  annuity, 
and  the  annuities  for  the  maintenance  of  my  child- 
ren, being  permanently  settled,  then,  out  of  the 
surplus  of  my  estate,  if  any — 

I  leave  to  my  brother,  Abraham  Smith  Fulton, 
three  thousand  dollars. 

To  my  sister,  Elizabeth  Scott,  I  leave  one  thou- 


208   THE  LIFE  OF  ROBERT  FULTON. 

sand  dollars  and  the  farm  on  which  she  now  lives, 
with  all  my  stock  in  horses  or  cattle,  implements 
of  husbandry,  and  furniture,  and  everything  be- 
longing to  me  thereon,  during  her  life :  at  her 
death,  the  farm,  and  all  my  property  thereon,  shall 
be  sold,  and  the  proceeds  be  equally  divided  among 
her  children. 

To  my  sister,  Isabella  Cooke,  I  leave  two  thou- 
sand dollars;  and  to  each  child  of  my  deceased 
sister,  Mary  Morris,  I  leave  five  hundred  dollars, 
which  sums  to  be  paid  within  one  year  after  my 
death,  and  after  the  legacies  to  my  said  wife  and 
children  shall  have  been  fixed  and  secured;  and 
to  my  said  brother  and  sisters,  I  relinquish  all 
sums  of  money  which  I  have  at  different  times 
lent  them  or  paid  on  their  account. 

All  my  other  property  shall  accumulate,  the 
interest  of  each  year  be  added  to  the  capital,  until 
the  eldest  of  my  children  arrive  at  the  age  of 
twenty-one  years ;  and  it  is  my  will  that  a  son  or 
daughter  of  mine  shall  not  be  considered  of  age 
until  he  or  she  shall  have  the  age  of  twenty-one 
years.  On  the  eldest  arriving  at  that  age,  the 
accumulated  property  shall  be  divided  into  as 
many  portions  as  there  shall  be  children,  and  the 
eldest  shall  receive  his  or  her  portion,  and  then 
each  one's  portion  shall  accumulate  until  he  or  she 


LAST    WILL    AND    TESTAMENT.          209 

attains  the  age  of  twenty-one  years,  to  receive  it. 
In  case  of  the  death  of  any  child  of  mine  before 
of  age,  or  before  marriage,  his  or  her  portion  shall 
be  divided  among  my  surviving  children,  in  equal 
portions;  but  if  married  before  of  age,  his  or  her 
portion  shall  be  disposed  of  as  hereafter  stated.  A 
son  may  will  his  portion  as  he  shall  think  proper, 
but  a  girl  must  be  guarded  against  the  misfortune 
or  imprudence  of  a  husband.  It  is,  therefore,  my 
will  that  whatever  sum  shall  by  this  will  become 
the  portion  of  a  daughter,  she  shall  have  only  the 
interest  of  it  during  her  life :  at  her  death,  three- 
fourths  of  the  capital  shall  be  divided  among  her 
children,  as  she  may  determine,  in  such  portions  as 
they  may  respectively  merit.  But  the  said  three- 
fourths  shall  be  divided  among  them,  and  the  other 
fourth  she  may  dispose  of  as  she  shall  think  proper : 
should  she  not  have  a  child,  she  may  will  the 
whole  capital  as  may  please  her,  to  be  disposed  of 
after  her  death. 

Should  the  whole  of  my  children  die  before  my 
said  wife,  half  of  all  my  property  not  hereby 
otherwise  disposed  of,  shall  go  to  the  promotion  of 
an  academy  of  FINE  ARTS,  for  HISTORICAL  and 
SCIENTIFIC  PAINTINGS,  which  academy  shall  be  es- 
tablished at  the  seat  of  the  Government  of  the 
United  States;  and,  in  such  case,  the  other  half 
18*  o 


210   THE  LIFE  OF  ROBERT  FULTON. 

of  my  property  may  be  disposed  of  as  iny  said 
wife  shall  think  proper. 

Having  paid  about  five  thousand  dollars  for  the 
engravings,  printing  of  plates  and  letterpress,  of 
the  POEM  called  the  "  COLUMBIAD,"  written  by  my 
late  friend,  Joel  Barlow,  and  which  gave  me  a 
property  in  the  publication  of  that  work,  I  hereby 
leave  the  whole  copies  of  that  work  to  his  widow, 
Mrs.  Kuth  Barlow,  except  fifty  of  the  proof  and 
embellished  copies  in  quarto,  printed  at  Philadel- 
phia; for  all  others,  I  relinquish  every  claim  on 
the  estate  or  property  of  the  heirs  of  said  Barlow ; 
and  I  also  will  that  all  sums  of  money  due  to  me 
from  the  said  Joel  Barlow's  estate,  in  amount  about 
seven  thousand  dollars,  shall  not  be  demanded 
from  his  widow  during  her  lifetime,  but  shall  be 
left  to  her  option  to  pay  at  any  time  during  her 
life :  at  her  death,  the  principal,  with  interest,  will 
be  the  legal  right  of  my  heirs,  to  be  paid  to  or 
recovered  by  them. 

And  I  hereby  appoint  my  said  wife  and  her 
brother-in-law,  William  Cutting,  trustees  to  manage 
my  estate,  to  fulfil  the  terms  and  conditions 
of  this  my  will,  and  to  be  guardians  to  my 
children. 

EGBERT  FULTON,  [L.S.] 


LAST    WILL    AND    TESTAMENT.          211 

Signed  in  the  presence  of  witnesses : 

CORNELIA  LIVINGSTON. 
SARAH  LIVINGSTON. 

L.  A.  RlGAIL. 

Afterwards  proved  and  entered  of  record,  Feb- 
ruary 27th,  1815,  in  the  surrogate's  office,  city  of 
New  York. 


CHAPTER  XII. 

THE    AMERICAN    STEAMSHIP    "SAVANNAH," 
THE    FIRST    OCEAN    STEAMER — EXTRACT 

FROM  "THE  PEOPLE'S  JOURNAL." 

ON  nearing  Liverpool,  the  more  effectually  to 
"  astonish  the  natives,"  the  wheels  were  restored, 
and,  at  the  completion  of  her  voyage,  the  "  SAVAN- 
NAH" was  divested  of  her  steam  apparatus,  and 
used  as  a  packet  between  Savannah  and  New  York. 
She  subsequently  went  ashore  on  Long  Island,  and 
broke  up. 

Although  Captain  Rogers  was  offered  $100,000 
for  her  by  the  King  of  Sweden,  to  be  paid  in  hemp 
and  iron,  delivered  at  New  York,  Boston,  and 
Philadelphia,  the  offer  was  not  accepted,  the  cash 
being  wanted. 

It  was  currently  reported  at  the  time,  that  up- 
wards of  $50,000  was  sunk  in  this  transaction. 

In  those  days,  coal  had  not  been  introduced  into 
steamers.  The  fuel  used  on  the  "SAVANNAH"  con- 
sisted of  pine  wood.  This  accounts  for  the  great 
smoke  from  her  pipe,  and  also  shows  the  reason 

(212) 


i. 


'\ 


THE  "SAVANNAH."  213 

why  she  had  difficulty  to  carry  the  requisite  quan- 
tity of  fuel. 

In  addition  to  the  above  somewhat  curt  but 
comprehensive  narrative,  we  have  been  enabled  to 
pick  out,  here  and  there,  from  the  dusty  newspaper 
files  of  that  period,  several  notices  in  which  justice 
is  done  to  the  ingenious  construction  of  the  "  SA- 
VANNAH" and  the  beauty  of  her  appearance  on  the 
water.  Yet  the  press  of  those  days  was  by  no 
means  as  active  or  eager  as  at  the  present  time ; 
and  hence  the  extracts  we  can  give  are  compara- 
tively brief,  although  they  will  serve  sufficiently 
well  to  show  that  the  new  steamship  was  regarded 
with  great  interest  and  curiosity. 

The  "Gazette  and  General  Advertiser"  of  April 
llth,  1819,  mentions  that 

"  Captain  Marsh,  of  the  sloop  Nimrod,  arrived  at 
Georgetown,  S.C.,  informs  us  that,  on  Saturday,  March 
3d,  he  saw  the  new  and  elegant  steamship  c  SAVANNAH* 
off  Remain  Island,  performing  her  first  trip  from  New 
York  to  Savannah.  Captain  Marsh  was  at  a  considerable 
distance  from  her,  and  represents  her  as  forming  the  most 
majestic  appearance  of  any  vessel  of  her  tonnage  he  ever 
saw,  and  making  the  most  astonishing  progress." 

The  "  SAVANNAH"  was  seen  several  times  during 
the  progress  of  this  trip,  eliciting  the  admiration 
and,  in  several  instances,  exciting  the  alarm  of  the 
simple-hearted  mariners,  who  still  knew  no  other 


214       THE    LIFE    OF    ROBERT    FULTON. 

aid  to  cross  the  seas  than  the  good  old-fashioned 
canvass  wings,  covering  and  spreading  over  the 
moving  hulk  they  hore  onward,  accordingly  as 
fresh  breezes  invited  their  expansion  or  fierce  tem- 
pests bade  them  be  furled. 

At  length,  after  buffeting  and  tossing  on  the 
stormy  billows  that  heave  against  the  American 
coast,  the  gallant  steamer,  thoroughly  tried  and 
tested  by  this  ordeal,  and  the  ease  and  safety  of 
her  motion  surpassing  all  that  her  commander  had 
dared  to  hope  for,  made  her  appearance  in  the  port 
to  which  she  had  been  originally  despatched.  Her 
arrival  is  thus  noticed  in  the  "  Savannah  Eepubli- 
can"  of  March  7th,  1819  : 

"  The  steamship  '  SAVANNAH'  arrived  at  our  port  last 
evening,  after  a  boisterous  passage  of  seven  days  from 
New  York.  On  her  approach  to  the  city,  hundreds  of 
citizens  flocked  to  the  banks  of  the  river,  and,  while  she 
ascended,  saluted  her  with  long  and  loud  huzzas  !  The 
utmost  confidence  is  placed  in  her  security.  It  redounds 
much  to  the  honour  of  Savannah  when  it  is  said  that  it 
was  owing  to  the  enterprise  of  some  of  her  spirited  citi- 
zens that  the  first  attempt  was  made  to  cross  the  Atlantic 
ocean  in  a  vessel  propelled  by  steam.  The  '  SAVANNAH,' 
.we  understand,  will  make  a  trip  between  this  and  Charles- 
ton, and  then  perhaps  go  to  Havana  and  New  Orleans, 
and  immediately  return  to  this  place.  She  will  then  pro- 
ceed to  Liverpool,  via  New  York,  unless  a  sufficiency  of 
passengers  should  offer  direct.  We  sincerely  hope  .the 
owners  may  reap  a  rich  reward  for  their  splendid  and 
laudable  undertaking." 


THE    "SAVANNAH."  215 

During  her  passage,  she  worked  the  engine 
eighteen  days.  Her  model  is  beautiful,  and  her 
accommodations  for  passengers  elegant  and  com- 
plete. This  is  the  first  ship,  on  this  construction, 
that  has  undertaken  a  voyage  across  the  Atlantic. 

Her  departure  is  subsequently  noticed,  in  warm 
terms  of  encomium  and  compliment,  by  the  "N.  Y. 
Gazette  and  General  Advertiser"  of  Sept.  10th, 
1819: 

"The  steamship  'SAVANNAH'  sailed  from  Liverpool, 
on  July  23d,  for  St.  Petersburg,  her  original  destination. 
Liverpool,  July  31st,  yesterday  week,  the  weather  being 
uncommonly  fine,  the  shores  of  our  river  were  more  than 
usually  crowded,  to  witness  the  most  striking  exhibition 
of  steam  navigation  which  has  yet  been  seen  in  our  port." 

The  "  SAVANNAH"  sped  on  her  northern  course, 
awakening  the  echoes  of  the  distant  Scandinavian 
shores  with  sounds  even  stranger  than  the  shouts 
and  battle-songs  of  the  ancient  Yikings.  The  ap- 
proach of  this  beautiful  messenger  from  the  young 
civilization  of  the  New  World  to  the  still  half- 
sleeping  monarchies  of  the  Elder  Hemisphere,  only 
just  shaken  in  their  slumber  by  the  iron  hand  of 
Napoleon,  was  an  event  in  their  history  full  of 
instruction  and  prophecy. 

However,  the  poverty  or  the  distrust  of  the 
Northern  Courts  prevented  the  anticipated  pur- 
chase of  the  "SAVANNAH;"  or,  it  may  be,  that 


216   THE  LIFE  OF  ROBERT  FULTON. 

they  sagely  inquired  how  she  was  to  be  manned 
and  officered  when  she  had  been  bought,  as  it  was 
hardly  probable  that  Kogers  and  his  crew  would 
remain  in  foreign  service,  when  great  advantages 
awaited  them  at  home.  At  all  events,  no  sale 
was  effected,  and  the  bold  little  ship  returned  to 
the  United  States,  where  her  arrival  is  quoted  with 
evident  satisfaction  in  the  "Commercial  Advertiser" 
of  New  York,  December  9th,  1819  : 

"  The  steamship  <  SAVANNAH/  Capt.  Rogers,  has  arrived 
at  Savannah,  in  fifty  days  from  St.  Petersburg,  Russia,  by 
way  of  Copenhagen,  Arundel,  and  Norway,  and  thirty- 
three  days  from  the  offings :  all  well,  and,  to  use  Capt. 
Rogers'  own  phrase,  neither  a  screw,  bolt,  nor  ropeyarn 
parted,  although  she  experienced  very  rough  weather." 

The  "Commercial  Advertiser,"  of  Dec.  20th, 
then  copies  from  the  "  National  Intelligencer"  the 
following  account  of  the  trip  to  Washington  city : 

"  Arrived  at  this  port,  the  16th  inst.,  the  elegant  steam- 
ship 'SAVANNAH,'  Capt.  Rogers,  from  St.  Petersburg, 
Russia,  via  Savannah,  in  fifty  days  from  the  former  place, 
having  touched,  on  her  passage  home,  four  days  at  Copen- 
hagen, and  four  days  at  Arundel  and  Norway.  She  en- 
countered a  very  heavy  gale  in  the  North  sea,  and  two 
from  Savannah  to  this  port  —  one  from  the  north-west,  on 
this  side  of  Cape  Hatteras  —  having  only  ten  hours  fair 
wind  on  her  passage  from  Savannah,  which  place  she  left 
on  the  4th  inst.  She  also  encountered  many  other  gales 
on  her  passage  out,  and  has  met  with  no  accident  except- 
ing the  loss  of  a  small  boat  and  anchors.  The  machinery 
has  met  with  no  accident :  her  wheels  are  so  constructed 


THE    "SAVANNAH."  217 

as  to  be  taken  all  on  board  in  from  ten  to  twenty  minutes, 
•which  leaves  the  vessel  in  the  same  situation  as  any  other 
ordinary  ship,  and  as  capable  of  resisting  the  action  of 
the  waves.  From  twenty  miles  this  side  of  Cape  Hatte- 
ras,  she  came  with  the  power  of  steam  only,  against  the 
severe  north-west  gale  we  have  had  the  last  three  days." 

After  this  recital  of  the  sea- worthiness  and  fine 
performance  of  the  "  SAVANNAH,"  it  may  not  be  amiss 
to  state  the  characteristic  features  of  her  structure. 

She  was  full  rigged  for  mast  and  sail,  and  pro- 
pelled by  one  inclined,  direct-acting,  low  pressure 
engine,  similar  to  those  now  in  use.  The  size  of 
her  cylinder  was  forty  inches  diameter,  with  six 
feet  stroke.  The  water-wheels  were  of  wrought 
iron,  with  only  one  flange,  and  entirely  uncovered, 
while  so  attached  that  their  removal  and  shipment 
on  deck  were  attended  with  scarcely  any  inconve- 
nience or  delay. 

Her  subsequent  fate  has  been  already  stated. 
On  her  transformation  into  a  sailing-packet,  her 
engines  and  boiler  were  sold  to  the  proprietors  of 
the  Allaire  Works,  in  New  York,  for  the  sum  of 
$1600.  The  engine  was  put  to  other  uses,  and 
has  been  running  constantly  ever  since,  until  a 
recent  period.  On  the  opening  of  the  Crystal 
Palace,  the  proprietors  of  the  Allaire  establishment 
deposited  the  identical  cylinder  of  the  "  SAVANNAH" 
as  one  of  their  contributions. 
19 


218   THE  LIFE  OF  ROBERT  FULTON. 

The  cylinder  now  on  exhibition  at  the  Crystal 
Palace  is  the  only  part  of  her  in  existence  at  the 
present  time,  and  in  making  a  careful  examination 
of  it,  and  the  model  of  the  whole  vessel,  we  are 
tempted  to  inquire  whether  they  may  not  have 
been  devised  upon  sounder  principles  than  many 
that  have  been  applied  to  similar  constructions  of 
these  later  days.  IN  GIVING  THIS  HINT,  WE 
WOULD  REMARK  THAT  MUCH  OF  FUL- 
TON'S BEST  CONCEPTIONS  MAY  BE  TRACED 
IN  THE  SPLENDID  STEAMER  NOW  IN  PRO- 
CESS OF  BUILDING  BY  MESSRS.  NORRIS  & 
GRIFFITH,  AND  DESTINED,  SO  WE  ARE 
ASSURED,  TO  TRAVERSE  THE  ATLANTIC 
BETWEEN  NEW  YORK  AND  LIVERPOOL 
IN  SIX  DAYS. 

The  "  SAVANNAH'S"  log-book  is  also  to  be  seen  at 
the  Crystal  Palace,  and  it  is  our  desire  to  furnish 
our  readers  with  some  extracts  from  it,  as  nothing, 
certainly,  can  be  uninteresting  that  relates  to  the 
beginning  of  the  new  era  which  has  brought  to 
our  beloved  country  such  vast  wealth,  and  such 
limitless  power  for  the  emancipation  and  the  en- 
lightenment of  mankind. 

The  "  SAVANNAH"  was  provided  with  side  paddle- 
wheels,  which  were  so  arranged  as  to  be  easily 
taken  off  from  their  shafts  and  taken  on  deck. 


THE    "SAVANNAH."  219 

The  following  extract,  which  we  have  copied  from 
the  log-book,  shows  the  facility  with  which  the 
wheels  were  shipped  and  unshipped : 

Remarks  on  board,  June  16$,  1819. 

Hour.    Knots. 

"  1.     3.— Course  of  wind,  S.E.  by  E.,  W.N.  W. 

20 
O. 

3.  3. — These  twenty-four  hours  begin  with  light 

4.  3. — breezes  and  cloudy. 

5.  2.— 

6.  2.— 

7.  2.— 

8.  0. — At  8  P.M.  calm  and  heavy  sea.     Got 

9.  4. — steam  up,  and  set  the  wheels  to  going : 

10.  5. — took  in  all  sail. 

11.  5.— 

12.  5.— 

1.  5.— 

2.  5.— 

3.  5.— 

4.  5.— 

5.  5.— 

6.  5.— 

7.  5. — At  8  A.  M.  saw  Mizen  Head,  on  Ireland, 

8.  5. — bearing  east,  six  leagues  distant. 

9.  5. — At  9,  took  in  the  wheels  and  set  sail. 

10.  3. — At  meridian,  light  breezes  and  pleasant. 

11.  3. — Variation,  2J  westerly. 

12.  3.— -Lat.  by  obs.  51°,  22'  N." 

The  above  record,  it  will  be  observed,  was  made 
four  days  prior  to  the  arrival  of  the  steamer  at 
Liverpool.  It  would  appear  that  the  vessel's  ave- 


220       THE    LIFE    OF    ROBERT    FULTON. 

rage  speed,  with  fair  wind,  without  steam,  was 
three  knots  an  hour,  and  that  with  steam  alone, 
sails  furled,  five  knots.  Captain  Kogers  seems  to 
have  been  careful  of  his  fuel,  and  to  have  used 
steam  when  the  wind  failed. 

We  make  another  extract  from  the  log-book, 
showing  the  record  made  on  the  day  of  her  arrival 
at  Liverpool,  as  follows : 

Remarks  on  board,  Sunday,  2(M  June,  1819. 

"Wind  N.  W.  These  twenty-four  hours  begin  calm  and 
clear :  at  8  P.M.  the  Bardsey  Islands,  in  Wales,  bore  east 
by  compass,  five  leagues  distant. 

"At  4  A.M.  see  Holyhead  Light,  bearing  N.  E.  by  com- 
pass, six  leagues  distant. 

"At  8  A.M.  took  pilot  on  board  out  of  boat  No.  10. 
At  meridian  pleasant. 

"At  2  P.M.  have-to  off  the  bar  for  the  tide  to  rise.  At 
5  P.M.  shipped  the  wheels  and  furled  the  sails,  and  run 
into  the  river  Mersey. 

"At  6  P.M.  came  to  anchor  off  Liverpool  with  the  small 
bower  anchor." 

Steamships  with  the  glorious  "stars  and  stripes" 
at  their  peak  have  furrowed  the  ice  and  streaked 
with  their  smoke  the  perennial  snows  of  the  far- 
thest polar  latitudes  accessible  to  man,  and  now 
shake,  with  the  thunder  of  their  republican  cannon 
and  their  shriek  of  onset,  the  most  distant  waters 
of  Japan  I 


THE    "ATLANTIC."  221 

The  "Atlantic"  steamship  in  1854. 

The  accompanying  engraving  is  a  view  of  the 
"ATLANTIC,"  the  pioneer  steamship  of  "Collins' 
United  States  Mail  Line."  The  hull  of  this  ship 
was  built  by  William  Brown,  of  New  York,  and 
the  engines  were  planned  and  constructed  by  Allen 
and  Stillman,  of  the  "  Novelty  Works."  Her  length 
is  two  hundred  and  seventy-six  feet,  breadth  of 
beam  forty-five,  across  the  paddle-boxes  seventy- 
five,  depth  of  hold  thirty-one  feet  seven  inches, 
and  the  diameter  of  her  wheels  is  thirty-six  feet. 
Her  burden  is  2,860  tons.  Her  form  is  peculiar. 
She  has  doffed  the  bowsprit  as  an  useless  appen- 
dage, and  her  paddles  are  placed  as  far  behind  the 
middle  of  the  hull  as  those  of  other  steamships 
are,  in  general,  before  it.  Her  figure-head  is  a 
huge,  bearded  Triton,  blowing  a  sea-horn.  Owing 
to  the  absence  of  the  bowsprit,  and  her  great  bulk 
out  of  the  water,  she  looks  clumsy  at  the  first 
sight;  but  a  closer  inspection  will  soon  undeceive 
the  observer.  Her  model  is  fine :  the  bow  being 
sharp  and  wave-line,  like  a  razor,  while  her  stern 
is  finely  rounded,  and  her  water-run  below  is  clean 
and  graceful.  Her  interior  arrangements  and  de- 
corations are  unique,  convenient,  and  luxurious. 
There  is  a  pastry-room  and  barber's-shop  on  board, 


222   THE  LIFE  OF  ROBERT  FULTON. 

replete  with  every  convenience.  There  is  a  great 
saloon  sixty-seven  feet  long,  and  the  dining-saloon 
is  sixty  by  twenty  feet  broad.  These  saloons  are 
fitted  up  in  superb  style.  Some  of  the  table-covers 
are  of  beautiful  variagated  marble,  and  the  panels 
around  are  finely  decorated  with  emblems  of  the 
various  American  States.  The  cabin- windows  are 
of  beautiful  painted  glass,  embellished  with  the 
arms  of  various  American  cities.  There  are  large 
circular  glass  ventilators  reaching  from  the  deck  to 
the  lower  saloon.  There  is  a  rich  and  elegant 
ladies'  drawing-room  near  the  chief  saloon,  and 
there  are  berths  for  one  hundred  and  fifty  pas- 
sengers. Each  berth  has  a  bell-rope  communicat- 
ing with  one  of  Jackson's  patented  American  an- 
nunciators. The  convenience,  elegance,  and  comfort 
for  passengers,  are  unsurpassed  by  those  of  any 
other  steamship  whatever:  to  cross  the  ocean  in 
such  a  vessel  is  no  cross  at  all. 

The  steamers  composing  the  Collins  line  are  the 
"ATLANTIC,"  "BALTIC,"  and  "'ADRIATIC."  The  two 
first  have  been  running  now  about  three  years, 
and  have  made  their  passages  with  almost  railroad 
precision.  Leaving  Liverpool  on  every  alternate 
Wednesday,  they  almost  universally  reach  New 
York  on  the  second  succeeding  Sunday.  Every 
other  Monday  morning  the  city  papers  announce 


THE    "ATLANTIC."  223 

the  receipt  of  foreign  news,  by  one  of  these  vessels, 
with  a  regularity  that  is  really  remarkable.  In 
respect  to  regularity,  speed,  and  safety,  the  Collins 
boats  have  heretofore  surpassed  all  others;  and  it 
ivas  only  after  years  of  the  most  strenuous  exertion 
that  Great  Britain  was  enabled  to  produce  a  steam- 
ship (the  "Persia")  that  could  compare  with  them. 


CHAPTEE  XIII. 

•    EXTRACTS    FROM    THE    PUBLIC    RECORDS. 

Report  of  the  Secretary  of  the  Navy  on  the  joint  reso- 
lution, (whicJi  became  a  law,)  allowing  certain 
specified  items,  and  directing  a  credit  of  the  same 
commensurate  to  their  value. 

NAVY  DEPARTMENT,  January  3,  1837. 
SIR:  —  On  a  resolution  of  the  Senate  and  House 
of  Representatives,  of  the  9th  of  April  last,  refer- 
ring the  petition  and  papers  of  the  heirs  of  Eobert 
Fulton,  deceased,  to  the  Secretary  of  the  Navy,  to 
report  thereon  to  Congress,  I  beg  leave  to  submit 
the  following  report : 

1.  By  the  resolution,  the  Secretary  of  the  Navy 
is  required  to  state  an  account  between  the  United 
States  and  said  heirs,  by  debiting  them  with  all 
the  moneys  paid  to  the  said  Robert  Fulton,  and 
not  settled  on  the  books  of  the  Treasury  Depart- 
ment. 

2.  To  credit  the  said   heirs  with   all   moneys 
advanced  or  expended  by  the  said  Fulton  on  and 

(224) 


EXTRACTS    FROM    PUBLIC    RECORDS.      225 

about  the  business  of  the  United  States  committed 
to  his  care,  or  about  which  he  had  an  agency. 

3.  To  credit  the  said  heirs  a  compensation  com- 
mensurate with  the  value  and  importance  of  the  ser- 
vices rendered  by  the  said  Kobert  Fulton  to  the 
United  States,  in  inventing  a  system  of  coast  and 
harbor  defence,  and  in  testing  its  utility,  so  far  as 
he  was  employed  or  engaged  to  render  such  ser- 
vices by  the  authorities  of  the  United  States,  or 
when  such  services  were  recognised  as  having  been 
rendered  for  the  United  States  previous  to  or  during 
the  late  war  with  Great  Britain. 

4.  To  credit  the  said  heirs  with  the  like  compen- 
sation for  the  services  of  the  said  Eobert  Fulton, 
for  inventing  and  superintending  the  construction 
of  a  steam  frigate  at  New  York  during  and  after 
the  said  war. 

5.  To  credit  the  said  heirs  with  a  just  and  equi- 
table compensation  for  the  detention  of  the  steam- 
boat "VESUVIUS"  at  New  Orleans,  from  the  30th 
of  December,  1814,  to  the  12th  of  March,  1815, 
both  days  inclusive,  being  the  time  said  boat  re- 
mained aground  by  reason  of  her  being  impressed 
into  the  service  of  the  United  States,  and  grounded 
when  in  said  service. 

Under  this  resolution,  I  have  given  a  most  care- 
ful consideration  to  the  subjects  referred. 

p 


226   THE  LIFE  OF  ROBERT  FULTON. 

The  charges  on  the  part  of  the  United  States 
against  the  estate  of  Mr.  Fulton  are  specific  and 
certain,  but  those  on  the  part  of  the  estate  against 
the  United  States  are  vague  and  uncertain.  In 
their  support,  estimates,  believed  from  all  the  evi- 
dence in  the  case  to  be  just  and  equitable,  must  be 
substituted  for  facts  proved  by  legal  evidence.  The 
nature  and  terms  of  the  reference  imply  a  wide 
range  of  discretion  in  stating  the  account  required. 

The  first  item  of  account  on  the  part  of  the 
United  States  against  the  estate  of  Mr.  Fulton,  is 
the  sum  of  $5,000,  advanced  to  him  in  the  year 
1810,  to  enable  him  to  make  experiments  for  the 
purpose  of  testing  the  efficiency  of  his  torpedoes, 
as  a  part  of  a  system  of  coast  and  harbor  defence. 

The  exact  amount  of  money  expended  by  Mr. 
Fulton  in  making  these  experiments  is  not  known; 
but,  from  what  appears  in  the  case,  no  doubt  can 
be  entertained  that  he  expended  the  whole  of  the 
$5,000  in  those  experiments,  and  probably  more ; 
but,  as  he  was  limited  by  the  appropriation  to  that 
sum,  no  more  can  be  allowed  in  stating  the  account. 
And  I  have  no  doubt,  from  reading  the  report  on 
those  experiments  and  the  correspondence  respect- 
ing them,  that  an  equal  amount  ought  to  be 
allowed  for  his  personal  services  in  making  those 
experiments. 


EXTRACTS    FROM    PUBLIC    RECORDS.     227 

The  second  charge  on  the  part  of  the  United 
States  against  the  estate  of  Mr.  Fulton,  is  for  the 
sura  of  $40,000,  advanced  on  a  contract  made  on 
the  27th  day  of  December,  1814,  to  put  the  steam- 
boats "  VESUVIUS,"  " JETNA,"  "  NEW  ORLEANS,"  and 
"  NATCHEZ,"  in  operation,  for  the  purpose  of  trans- 
porting troops  and  munitions  of  war  on  the  Missis- 
sippi river,  and  the  "  BUFFALO"  steamboat,  intended 
to  trade  on  the  Ohio  river :  to  be  employed  by  the 
United  States  at  certain  rates  of  freight  fixed  by 
the  contract,  by  which  the  money  advanced  was 
to  be  paid. 

The  return  of  peace  soon  after  making  this 
contract,  prevented  its  fulfilment.  Three  days 
after  it  was  made,  and  before  it  could  be  known 
at  New  Orleans,  the  steamboat  "VESUVIUS"  was 
impressed  and  taken  into  the  service  of  the  United 
States,  for  transporting  troops,  when  that  city  was 
threatened  with  invasion,  but  not  according  to  the 
terms  of  the  contract,  nor  in  fulfilment  of  the  same. 
And  while  thus  in  the  service  of  the  United  States, 
the  said  steamboat  was  run  aground,  and,  from  a 
fall  of  the  water  in  the  river,  remained  in  that 
situation  for  nearly  three  months ;  for  which  Mr. 
Fulton  claimed  a  remuneration  equal  to  the  profits 
he  might  have  made  in  that  time,  in  the  peculiar 
circumstances  of  the  country,  by  his  steamboat,  if 


228   THE  LIFE  OF  ROBERT  FULTON. 

she  had  not  been  impressed  and  taken  for  the  ser- 
vice of  the  United  States.  It  is  impossible  to 
ascertain,  with  any  degree  of  accuracy,  what  those 
profits  might  have  been. 

The  opinion  of  Kobeson  De  Hart,  who  com-^ 
manded  the  steamboat  "VESUVIUS"  in  the  years 
1813,  1814,  and  1815,  and  during  the  time  she 
was  aground,  as  he  has  expressed  it  under  oath,  is, 
that,  as  the  steamboat  "VESUVIUS"  was  the  only 
steamboat  between  Louisville,  in  Kentucky,  and 
New  Orleans,  in  the  winter  of  1814  and  1815,  and 
as  she  arrived  at  New  Orleans  during  the  great 
alarm  occasioned  by  the  appearance  of  the  British 
army  before  the  city,  her  services  might  have  been 
worth  to  her  owner,  during  the  campaign,  which 
lasted  between  three  and  four  months,  from  eight 
to  nine  hundred  dollars  per  day.  According  to 
the  opinion  of  John  De  Hart,  Jasper  Lynch,  and 
others,  the  estimate  should  have  been  much  higher. 
But  it  appears  to  me  that  this  estimate,  as  an  ave- 
rage for  the  whole  time  the  boat  was  aground,  is 
too  high,  We  have,  however,  lately  been  paying 
at  the  rate  of  $500  a  day,  in  some  instances,  for  a 
steamboat,  in  the  present  campaign  against  the 
Indians,  when  steamboats  are  much  more  easily 
procured  than  they  were  in  1814  and  1815;  and  I 
think  that  $600  per  day  for  the  use  of  the  steam- 


EXTRACTS    FROM    PUBLIC    RECORDS.     229 

boat  "VESUVIUS,"  and  the  damage  she  sustained 
during  the  time  she  was  aground,  is  not  an  unrea- 
sonable charge  for  the  same.  This,  with  such 
allowance  for  the  damage  done  to  the  steamboat, 
will  amount  to  about  $50,000,  exceeding  the  sum 
advanced  upon  the  contract  by  $10,000. 

A  suit  was  brought  in  the  Southern  District  of 
New  York,  on  the  part  of  the  United  States,  against 
the  representatives  of  Robert  Fulton,  deceased, 
which  was  tried  in  February,  1826.  I  have  en- 
deavoured to  discover  what  composed  the  items  of 
set-off  to  the  claims  of  the  United  States ;  but  very 
little  information  in  this  case  can  be  obtained,  in 
addition  to  that  found  in  the  papers  and  documents 
referred. 

William  M.  Price  and  John  Anthon,  Esquires, 
were  counsel  for  the  defendants  in  the  suit;  but, 
from  the  lapse  of  time,  they  have  no  distinct  recol- 
lection of  the  defence.  Mr.  Price,  in  his  letter  of 
the  5th  November  last,  says  that  his  best  impres- 
sion is,  that  the  set-off  of  the  defendants  in  this 
suit  consisted  of  some  $2,000  for  the  transporta- 
tion of  the  munitions  of  war,  and  about  $70,000 
as  a  loss  sustained  by  Mr.  Fulton  by  the  seizure  by 
the  Government  of  his  steamboat  "VESUVIUS."  The 
jury  was  of  opinion  that  the  United  States  was 
indebted  to  the  defendants,  and  was  about  to  cer- 
20 


230   THE  LIFE  OF  ROBERT  FULTON. 

tify  a  balance;  but  on  being  informed  that  this 
would  be  irregular,  they  found  a  general  verdict  in 
favour  of  the  defendants.  Mr.  Anthon's  recollec- 
tion does  not  enable  him  to  throw  any  further  light 
upon  this  subject.  What  balance  the  jury  would . 
have  given  the  defendants,  if  permitted,  cannot 
now  be  known. 

There  is  much  difficulty  in  ascertaining  the  sum 
which  should  be  allowed  as  a  compensation  commen- 
surate with  the  value  and  importance  of  Mr.  Ful- 
ton's services,  in  inventing  and  constructing  a  steam 
frigate  at  New  York  during  and  after  the  late  war 
with  Great  Britain. 

Mr.  Fulton  secured  to  himself  the  right  of  a 
patent  for  this  invention,  the  whole  benefit  of 
which  has  resulted  to  the  United  States.  A  liberal 
estimate  of  the  value  and  importance  of  his  services 
in  this  invention  should  be  adopted. 

The  opinions  expressed  in  the  papers  referred 
are  in  favour  of  a  very  high  estimate  of  the  value 
and  importance  of  this  invention ;  and  the  Messrs. 
Robert  and  George  L.  Schuyler,  in  their  letter  of 
the  3d  of  last  month,  express  their  opinion  that 
the  sum  of  $100,000  should  be  awarded  to  the 
heirs  of  Fulton,  for  the  use  of  his  patent  right  and 
improvements  for  the  construction  of  steam  frigates. 
Although  I  place  great  confidence  in  the  opinion 


EXTRACTS    FROM    PUBLIC    RECORDS.     231 

of  these  gentlemen,  yet  I  think  their  estimate  is 
too  high ;  but  I  am  satisfied,  from  the  best  consi- 
deration I  can  give  to  the  case,  that  $60,000  would 
be  no  more  than  a  reasonable  allowance  for  the 
use  of  this  patent  right  and  improvements. 

The  Messrs.  Eobert  and  George  L.  Schuyler  also 
state,  in  their  letter,  that,  in  their  opinion,  the  sum 
of  $25,000  should  be  allowed  as  a  compensation 
for  the  services  of  Mr.  Fulton  as  superintendent  in 
the  construction  of  the  steam  frigate  at  New  York; 
and  as  this  opinion  is  corroborated  by  much  testi- 
mony in  the  case,  I  consider  that  sum  as  a  liberal, 
and,  at  the  same  time,  no  more  than  an  adequate, 
allowance  for  these  services. 

These  principles,  above  stated,  I  have  adopted 
as  the  basis  of  the  account  which  it  is  my  duty  to 
state ;  agreeably  to  which,  the  account  will  stand 
thus : 

United  States  in  account  with  the  heirs  of  Robert 
Fulton,  deceased. 

DR. 
1810.  To  money  expended  by  Robert  Fulton  in 

making    experiments   for   coast   and 
harbor  defence,  by  means  of  torpedoes       $5,000 
Services  in  making  experiments  in  the 

same 5,000 

1815.  Damages  for  the  detention  of  the  steam- 
boat "  VESUVIUS,"  from  30th  Decem- 
ber, 1814,  to  12th  March,  1815 50,000 


232   THE  LIFE  OF  ROBERT  FULTON. 

The  use  of  Mr.  Fulton's  patent  right  for 

constructing  steam  frigates  .............  60,000 

Services  as  superintendent  in  building  a 

steam  frigate  at  New  York  .............  25,000 


Balance  in  favour  of  the  heirs  of  Robert 

Fulton  .......................................  $100,000 

CR. 

1810.  By  cash  advanced  for  making  experiments 
for  coast  and  harbor  defence,  by  tor- 
pedoes ......................................        $5,000 

1814.  By  cash  advanced  on  contract  to  fit  out 

steamboats  (as  per  contract)  ............        40,000 

Balance  in  favour  of  the  heirs  of  Robert 

Fulton  ......................................     100,000 

"$145,~000 

The  papers  and  documents  referred  are  herewith 
returned,  together  with  the  letters  of  Mr.  Price, 
Mr.  Anthon,  and  of  Messrs.  R.  and  G.  L.  Schuyler, 
mentioned  in  this  report. 

I  have  the  honour  to  be  your  obedient,  humble 

servant, 

MAHLON  DICKERSON. 
HON.  JAMES  K.  POLK, 

Speaker  of  the  House  of  Representatives. 

Affidavit  of  Charles  Harrod,  Assistant  Deputy  Quar- 
termaster General. 

I,  Charles  Harrod,  of  the  city  of  New  Orleans, 
do  depose  and  say:  —  That,  in  the  year  1814,  in 


EXTRACTS  FROM  PUBLIC  RECORDS.  233 

December,  the  steamboat  "VESUVIUS,"  then  navi- 
gating the  Mississippi  river,  was  taken  into  the 
public  service  by  order  of  the  commanding  general 
(Jackson).  Being  at  that  time  Assistant  Deputy 
Quartermaster  General,  I  executed  the  order,  and 
she  was  prepared  for  the  service ;  that,  shortly 
after,  whilst  in  the  performance  of  some  public 
duty,  she  grounded,  and  remained  aground  about 
three  months. 

CHARLES  HARROD. 

Sworn  and  subscribed  before  me,  this  3d  January, 
1834. 

J.  N.  DUNCAN,  Judge. 
A  true  copy  of  the  original. 

JAMES  YOUNG, 
Clerk  of  Committee  of  Claims,  H.  JR.  U.  $. 

Affidavit  of  Jasper  Lynch,  Esq.,  agent  of  the  steamboat 
"  Vesuvius" 

I,  Jasper  Lynch,  of  the  city  of  New  York,  hav- 
ing been  requested,  in  behalf  of  the  heirs  of  the 
late  Robert  Fulton,  to  state,  under  oath,  first,  the 
facts  within  my  knowledge  as  to  the  seizure  and 
impressment  of  the  steamboat  "VESUVIUS,"  for  the 
use  of  the  Government,  at  the  invasion  of  New 
Orleans,  in  1814  ;  and,  second,  my  opinion  as  to 
the  probable  loss  to  her  owners  by  the  detention 
20* 


234        THE    LIFE    OF    ROBERT    FULTON. 

occasioned  in  consequence  of  her  grounding  while 
in  the  public  service;  and,  being  duly  sworn,  do 
depose  and  say; — That  I  visited  New  Orleans,  for 
the  first  time,  in  the  spring  of  1816,  and,  of  course, 
know  nothing  personally  in  respect  to  the  fact  of 
the  seizure  and  detention  of  the  boat  in  1814. 

I  went  to  New  Orleans  as  sole  agent  of  the 
steamboat  "  NEW  ORLEANS,"  trading  between  New 
Orleans  and  Natchez,  and  shortly  after  my  arrival 
there,  became  the  sole  agent  of  the  steamboat 
"  VESUVIUS/'  above-mentioned ;  which  two  boats  I 
employed  on  the  river  until  the  autumn  of  1818, 
with  the  exception  of  an  interval  of  about  eight 
months,  during  which  I  rebuilt  the  "VESUVIUS," 
which  was  burned  in  1816,  after  she  came  into 
my  possession,  and  the  ownership  thereby  cast 
on  me. 

It  would,  in  my  opinion,  be  difficult  to  assign  a 
limit,  preserving  the  appearance  of  credibility,  to 
the  amount  of  money  which  the  steamboat  "VE- 
SUVIUS" might  have  earned,  if  afloat  during  the 
season  of  navigation  and  business,  from  November, 
1814,  to  July,  1815,  before  and  after  the  scene  of 
bustle  growing  out  of  the  invasion  of  New  Orleans. 
I  should  not  estimate  it  at  less  than  $100,000. 
This,  I  am  aware,  will  appear  extravagant  to  those 
unacquainted  with  the  prices  of  freight  and  passage 


EXTRACTS    FROM    PUBLIC    RECORDS.      235 

on  the  Mississippi,  and  the  situation  of  New  Orleans 
at  that  time.  Application  has  been  made  to  me, 
for  the  last  two  or  three  years,  for  a  written  state- 
ment, under  oath,  on  this  subject.  I  have  been 
averse  to  making  it,  because  I  knew,  unaccompa- 
nied by  the  facts  and  reasons  from  which  I  deduced 
my  estimate  or  conclusion,  it  might  bear  the  stamp 
of  extravagance  or  improbability.  I  had  hoped 
that  an  opportunity  might  be  afforded  of  giving 
testimony  orally,  and  of  explaining  them  more 
fully  and  satisfactorily  than  could  be  done  on 
paper.  In  justice,  therefore,  to  myself,  as  well  as 
for  the  information  of  those  whom  it  may  concern, 
I  will  now  state  them.  On  my  arrival  in  New 
Orleans,  in  1816,  I  found  the  following  prices  of 
freight  in  steamboats  on  the  Mississippi,  established, 
I  believe,  by  the  Legislature  of  Louisiana,  in  1812: 

From  New  Orleans  to  Louisville,  four  and  a  half 
cents  per  pound  for  heavy  goods,  and  six  cents 
for  light:  averaging  five  cents  per  pound,  or 
per  ton $112,05 

.From  New  Orleans  to  Natchez,  three-fourths  of  a 
cent  per  pound,  or  $1,50  per  barrel;  and  the 
same  rates  were  charged  for  all  the  intermedi- 
ate landings — Donaldsonville  seventy-five  miles, 
Baton  Rouge  one  hundred  and  twenty,  etc.,  or 
per  ton 15,00 

From  New  Orleans  to  Louisville,  passage 125,00 

From  New  Orleans  to  Natchez 30,00 

And  half  price  for  passage  down. 


236        THE    LIFE    OF    ROBERT    FULTON. 

These  rates  continued  uniform :  I  never  received 
less,  and  they  were  not  reduced  till  1819. 

The  tonnage  of  the  "VESUVIUS"  was,  as  nearly 
as  I  can  recollect,  three  hundred  and  ninety-four 
tons,  (custom-house,)  and  she  carried  over  one 
thousand  three  hundred  bales  of  cotton,  averaging 
four  hundred  pounds  each.  She  was  at  that  time 
(1814)  a  new  boat,  just  from  Pittsburg,  and  the 
only  steamboat  at  New  Orleans,  or  indeed  on  the 
river,  and  of  course  without  competition  as  to 
freight  or  price :  her  speed  through  the  water  eight 
miles  per  hour.  From  these  facts,  an  estimate 
may  be  made  of  the  amount  she  could  have  earned. 
A  boat  of  the  same  tonnage,  at  the  above  rates, 
without  competition,  and  under  like  circumstances, 
in  the  Hudson,  would,  I  have  no  doubt,  greatly 
exceed  the  estimate  I  have  made.  The  cases  are 
not  dissimilar.  I  employed  this  boat  between  New 
Orleans  and  Louisville,  during  the  seasons  of  1817 
and  1818,  at  the  above  rates.  I  have  not  at  pre- 
sent the  advantage  of  reference  to  my  books,  which 
are  in  the  city  of  New  York ;  but  I  well  recollect 
that,  in  one  trip,  made  in  the  spring  of  1817,  from 
New  Orleans  to  Louisville  and  back,  she  was  absent 
from  New  Orleans  about  forty  days,  and  her  returns 
were  about  $800  a  day  for  the  whole  time. 

Dated  Rome,  Oneida  co.,  N.  Y.,  February  29, 1836. 

JASPER  LYNCH. 


EXTRACTS    FROM    PUBLIC    RECORDS.     237 

Personally  appeared  before  me,  this  29th  day  of 
February,  1836,  Jasper  Lynch,  Esq.,  and  made 
oath  to  and  subscribed  the  foregoing  deposition. 

B.  P.  JOHNSON, 
Supreme  Court  Commissioner. 

Deposition  of  Mr.  Thomas  Morris. 
Thomas  Morris,  of  the  city  of  New  York,  being 
duly  sworn,  deposeth  and  saith : — That,  some  time 
during  the  late  war  with  Great  Britain,  this  deponent, 
at  the  instance  of  the  late  Robert  Fulton,  and  in 
connection  with  several  other  persons  whose  names 
he  does  not  now  recollect,  submitted  to  the  Navy 
Department  a  proposition  to  build  a  steam  frigate, 
to  be  employed  by  the  Government  as  a  ship-of- 
war :  that  they  offered  either  to  build  the  said 
frigate  at  their  own  expense  and  that  of  their 
associates,  the  Government  giving  to  them  the 
avails  of  all  captures  that  the  said  frigate  might 
make,  and  paying  them  for  such  of  the  enemy's 
vessels  as  she  might  destroy ;  or  to  superintend  the 
construction  of  said  frigate  without  compensation 
to  themselves,  but  at  the  expense  of  the  Govern- 
ment :  that  the  latter  alternative  was  adopted  by 
the  Navy  Department,  and  that  General  Dearborn, 
Henry  Rutgers,  Samuel  L.  Mitchell,  and  this  de- 
ponent, were  appointed  by  said  Department  to 


238       THE    LIFE    OF    ROBERT    FULTON. 

superintend  and  equip  the  said  frigate :  that  the 
commissioners  thus  appointed  employed  the  late 
Kobert  Fulton  as  their  engineer :  that  all  the 
difficulties  (which  were  numerous)  attending  the 
construction  of  the  said  frigate  devolved  on  the 
said  Robert  Fulton :  that  the  commissioners  relied 
entirely  on  the  said  R.  Fulton  for  all  the  draughts, 
plans,  and  calculations ;  for  the  procuring  and  pre- 
senting to  them,  for  their  approbation,  contracts  for 
the  supplying  the  timber,  the  copper,  the  iron,  and 
all  the  other  materials  relative  to  the  construction 
of  said  vessel :  that  your  deponent  believes  that 
the  said  Fulton  was  employed  almost  entirely  be- 
tween twelve  and  eighteen  months  in  the  construc- 
tion of  the  said  frigate,  having  had  numerous  diffi- 
culties to  encounter,  owing  to  the  great  difficulty 
of  procuring  the  castings,  some  of  which  were  on 
so  large  a  scale  that  many  experiments  were  made 
before  such  could  be  procured  as  were  required. 
And  this  deponent  further  says,  that  the  said  Ro- 
bert Fulton  never  received  from  the  said  commis- 
sioners any  compensation  whatever,  nor  does  he 
believe  that  he  received  any  from  the  Navy  De- 
partment, for  all  his  trouble,  labour,  and  anxiety 
in  and  about  this  business.  And  this  deponent 
further  says,  that,  while  the  said  Robert  Fulton 
was  thus  engaged  in  devoting  his  time  and  talents 


EXTRACTS    FROM    PUBLIC    RECORDS.     239 

to  what  he  and  others  believed  to  be  the  best 
interests  of  our  country,  this  deponent  is  convinced 
that  he  might,  if  the  same  industry  and  talent  had 
been  employed  in  his  own  private  pursuits,  and  for 
his  own  emolument,  secured  to  himself  and  family 
a  very  handsome  independency.  And  further  this 

deponent  saith  not. 

THOMAS  MORRIS. 

Sworn  this  21st  day  of  January,  1829,  before  me : 

SAMUEL  K.  BETTS, 
Judge  of  the  U.  S.  for  the  Soutliern  District  of  New  York. 

Affidavit  of  William  Norris,  Esq.,  of  Philadelphia, 
a  distinguished  steam-engine  manufacturer,  and 
from  whom  a  report  was  obtained  by  the  Navy 
Commissioners  preparatory  to  building  the  steam 
frigate  "Fulton"  as  vide  House   document   No. 
423,  25th  Congress,  2d  Session. 
I,  "William  Norris,  of  Philadelphia,  in  the  State 
of  Pennsylvania,  steam-engine  constructor,  do  tes- 
tify, in  relation  to  the  sum  due  Robert  Fulton's 
heirs  for  construction  of   the  steam  frigate,  and 
also  for  the  patent  for  steam  batteries,  as  follows : 

When  Mr.  Fulton  superintended  the  CONSTRUC- 
TION of  the  steam  battery  "  FULTON,"  in  1815, 
steam  vessels  and  steam  machinery  were  in  their 
infancy ;  consequently,  he,  as  their  originator,  was 
compelled  to  give  all  his  thoughts,  his  time,  and 


240   THE  LIFE  OF  ROBERT  FULTON. 

experience,  solely  to  that  one  subject,  viz.,  the 
construction  of  the  steam  battery;  therefore  a 
value  should  be  placed  on  his  services  as  designer, 
as  well  as  superintendent  of  construction.  A 
skilful  engineer  is  now  paid  five  per  cent,  for  his 
services  as  superintendent  of  construction,  with 
every  convenience  at  his  hand ;  whereas  Mr.  Ful- 
ton had  to  originate  everything,  and  was  compelled 
to  make  himself  the  plans,  proportions,  and  gene- 
ral arrangements :  then,  if  the  superintendent  of 
construction  of  the  present  day  receives  a  compen- 
sation of  five  per  cent,  for  merely  sending  an  order 
to  a  steam-engine  builder,  (for  now  all  engines  can 
be  made  to  order,)  what  compensation  should  be 
allowed  to  Mr.  Fulton  for  his  undivided  attention 
and  care  in  superintending  every  detail  in  the 
construction  of  the  steam  battery  ?  There  can  be 
no  comparison  in  the  two  duties ;  and,  in  my  opi- 
nion, a  compensation  of  ten  per  cent,  on  amount 
of  cost  would  be  but  a  small  remuneration  for  the 
actual  duties  performed  by  Mr.  Fulton. 

The  PATENT  of  the  steam  battery,  it  must  be 
evident,  is  of  immense  value  to  the  United  States ; 
and  I  think  that  the  sum  of  one  hundred  thousand 
dollars,  paid  by  the  United  States,  would  be,  in 
reality,  but  one-tenth  part  of  its  value. 

WILLIAM  NORRIS. 


EXTRACTS    FROM    PUBLIC    RECORDS.     241 


Extract  from  Report  of  the  Secretary  of  War  ( Go- 
vernor Cass)  to  Congress,  dated  April  7.  1S36, 
through  the  President,  specially  approved  l>y  the 

>  message  of  General  Jackson. —  Vide  Executive 
Docs.  1835-'36,  vol.  6. 

There  can  be  little  doubt  that  floating  batteries, 
propelled  by  this  agent,  will  be  among  the  most 
efficient  means  of  coast  defence.  A  hostile  fleet, 
about  to  enter  the  Chesapeake,  would  certainly 
calculate  the  means  of  annoyance  to  which  it 
would  be  exposed  by  these  formidable  vessels. 
During  a  calm,  they  would  take  a  distant  position, 
insuring  their  own  safety,  while,  with  their  heavy 
guns,  they  might  cripple  and  destroy  the  enemy ; 
and  their  power  of  motion  would  enable  them, 
under  almost  all  circumstances,  to  approach  the 
fleet,  and  to  retire,  when  necessary,  where  they 
could  not  be  pursued.  These  vessels,  properly 
constructed,  may  become  floating  forts,  almost 
equal  to  permanent  fortifications  in  their  power  of 
annoyance  and  defence,  and  in  other  advantages 
FAR  SUPERIOR  TO  THEM.  Being  transferable  defences, 
they  can  be  united  upon  any  point,  and  a  few  of 
them  be  thus  enabled  to  protect  various  places. 
21  Q 


242   THE  LIFE  OF  ROBERT  FULTON. 

Extract  from  Report  of  the  Chief  Engineer  of  the 

United  States,  dated  January  13,  1836,   to  the 

Secretary  of  War,  and  l>y  him  transmitted  to  the 

Senate  of  the    United  States,  with  his  approval 

'  thereof.— Vide  Senate  Doc.  vol.  2,  1835-36. 

That  steam  batteries  would  be  most  effective  and 
powerful  auxiliaries  to  the  other  means  of  defence 
now  existing,  and  to  be  created  for  the  protection 
of  our  seaboard,  there  can  be  no  doubt;  and  the 
almost   necessity  of  their   construction   is   evident, 
when  the  length  .and  extent  of  our  bays  and  har- 
bors are  considered.     Vessels  of  this  description 
would   possess   the    advantages   of  being   able  to 
change  their  position,  regardless  of  shoals  and  bars 
always  to  be  met  with  in  our  harbors,  placing  them 
beyond  the  reach  of  a  pursuing  enemy;   and,  in 
case  of  calms  or  storms,  or  any  other  cause  obliging 
the  enemy  to  anchor,  might  select  such  positions 
as  to  place  their  opponents  at  their  mercy.     They 
would  likewise  be  efficient  in  preventing  marauding 
excursions  in  boats,  so  often  attended  with  distress 
and  ruin  to  the  peaceful  and  unoffending  citizen. 

Captain  M.  C.  Perry,  commander  of  the  present 
steam  battery  "  FULTON,"  in  a  report  made  to  the 
Secretary  of  the  Navy,  on  February  17,  1838,  and 
communicated  to  Congress  by  him,  (vide  House 


EXTRACTS    FROM    PUBLIC    RECORDS.     243 

Doc.,  25th  Congress,  2d  Session,  No.  423,  page 
121,)  states  that,  under  certain  circumstances,  she 
could  annoy  a  whole  squadron;  and,  by  taking 
advantage  of  the  vicissitudes  of  winds  and  weather, 
render  the  anchorage  of  enemy's  vessels  in  our 
waters  extremely  hazardous,  moving  as  she  can  in 
every  direction,  with  astonishing  rapidity  for  so 
heavy  a  body,  regardless  of  winds  or  tides.  Turn- 
ing to  starboard  or  port,  going  ahead  or  astern,  she 
could  select  the  most  desirable  positions  for  attack, 
and  change  them  at  pleasure. 

Lieutenant  Carter,  in  the  same  report,  states  that 
he  looked  upon  her,  in  point  of  efficiency,  as  equal 
to  almost  any  number  of  armed  vessels  not  propelled 
by  steam. 

Affidavit  of  Paul  A.  Sabbaton,  Esq.,  of  New  York, 
a  very  eminent  steam-engine  constructor,  to  whom 
the  Navy  Commissioners  were  referred  as  the  most 
competent  to  give  information  preparatory  to  the 
building  of  the  present  steam  frigate  "Fulton." 

I,  Paul  A.  Sabbaton,  of  the  city  and  State  of 
New  York,  steam-engine  constructor,  depose,  on 
the  value  of  Kobert  Fulton's,  Esq.,  services  in 
constructing  the  steam  battery  "  FULTON,"  in  1814, 
and  on  the  value  of  the  patent  right  of  the  steam 
battery,  as  follows : 


244       THE    LIFE    OF    ROBERT    FULTON. 

I  shall  briefly  state  that,  as  early  as  1810,  I  was 
intrusted  with  the  general  superintendence  of  the 
late  Mr.  John  Youle's  foundry  establishment ;  that, 
shortly  after  that  period,  Mr.  Fulton  came  to  the 
foundry  with  drawings  of  parts  of  engines,  to  have 
patterns  made  to  cast  from ;  and  that  the  difficulty 
at  that  time  to  obtain  workmen  who  understood  to 
work  from  drawings,  was  such  as  to  require  from 
Mr.  Fulton  continual  exertions,  night  and  day,  in 
travelling  from  one  shop  to  another,  either  to  alter 
mistakes  or  prevent  others;  and,  even  after  the 
patterns  were  finished,  many  delays  and  perplexi- 
ties took  place  in  casting  them,  that  branch  being 
then  in  its  infancy  in  this  country :  all  this,  how- 
ever, relates  only  to  small  engines,  etc. 

But  when  the  battery  was  in  progress  of  con- 
struction, not  having  at  his  disposal  any  person  in 
whom  he  could  confide  to  superintend  some  of  the 
plans,  his  exertions  became  laborious  in  the  ex- 
treme, and  required  almost  supernatural  efforts  to 
meet  exigencies :  of  these  great  labours  in  con- 
structing the  steam  battery,  I  was  a  witness,  and 
had  personal  knowledge. 

I  understand  that  five  per  cent,  is  usually  paid 
for  superintending  the  construction  of  steamboats, 
at  this  time,  which  requires  the  mere  looking  on  of 
the  superintendent  to  see  that  the  work  is  well 


EXTRACTS    FROM    PUBLIC    RECORDS.     245 

done ;  therefore,  if  to  estimate  the  services  rendered 
by  the  present  engineers,  and  those  of  Mr.  Fulton 
be  reduced  to  per  centage,  I  should  say  that,  to 
allow  Mr.  Fulton  ten  per  cent.*  on  the  whole  cost, 
is  not  only  moderate,  but  scarcely  just. 

As  to  the  value  of  the  patent  right  for  steam 
batteries,  being  an  object  of  a  national  character, 
and  the  result  it  would  produce  in  case  of  war,  can 
be  best  appreciated  by  those  conversant  in  maritime 
affairs ;  but,  merely  viewing  it  as  a  patent  right  of 
the  first  importance,  I  am  of  opinion  that  $100,000 
for  the  same  is  such  an  amount  as  no  one  ought  to 
refuse  to  pay. 

I  shall  merely  take  the  liberty  to  add,  that,  when 
the  celebrated  Mr.  Watt  applied  to  his  Government 
for  a  renewal  of  his  patent,  then  pending  before 
Parliament,  one  of  the  right  honourable  members, 
in  discussing  the  justness  of  the  application,  stated 
that  if  Mr.  Watt,  in  the  first  instance,  had  chosen 
not  to  disclose  the  secret  of  his  invention,  the  Go- 
vernment would  have  purchased  the  secret  cheaply 
at  ten  millions :  this  is  somewhat  a  parallel  case. 

In  giving  my  judgment  above,  as  to  the  amount 
which  should  be  allowed  for  each  item,  a  purely 
practical  and  business  view  only  is  taken. 

PAUL  A.  SABBATON. 

*  Ten  per  cent,  on  $250,000,  equal  to  $25,000. 

21* 


246   THE  LIFE  OF  ROBERT  FULTON. 

City  and  county  of  New  York,  ss. 

I  do  hereby  certify  that,  on  the  19th  day  of 
December,  1838,  before  me,  came   and  appeared 
Paul  A.  Sabbaton,  who,  being  by  me  duly  sworn, 
on  his  oath,  declared  that  the  matters  set  forth  in . 
the  above  certificate,  subscribed  by  him,  are  true. 

PETER  DE  WITT, 
Commissioner  of  Deeds. 

Receipt  of  Superintendent  of  Patent  Office  of  speci- 
fication of  steam  battery. 

Robert  Fulton,  Esq.,  by  Mr.  Delacy,  his  agent, 
deposited  this  day  a  drawing  of  a  floating  steam 
battery  in  the  patent  office,  including  a  description 
thereof. 

Given  under  my  hand,  this  15th  day  of  March, 

1814. 

\ 

TV.  THORNTON. 

Report  of  the  Commissioners  superintending  the 
construction  of  a  steam  vessel-of-war,  to  the  /Se- 
cretary of  the  Navy. 

NEW  YORK,  December  28,  1815. 
SIR  :  —  The  war  which  was  terminated  by  the 
treaty  of  Ghent  afforded,  during  its  short  continu- 
ance, a  glorious  display  of  the  valour  of  the  United 


EXTRACTS    FROM    PUBLIC    RECORDS.     247 

States,  both  by  land  and  sea.  It  made  them  better 
known  to  foreign  nations,  and,  what  is  of  much 
greater  importance,  it  contributed  to  make  them 
better  acquainted  with  themselves — it  excited  new 
enterprises  —  it  educed  latent  talents  —  it  stimu- 
lated to  exertions  unknown  to  our  people  before. 
A  long  extent  of  coast  was  exposed  to  an  enemy 
powerful  above  every  other  on  the  ocean.  His 
commanders  threatened  to  lay  waste  our  country 
with  fire  and  sword,  and  actually,  in  various  in- 
stances, carried  their  menaces  into  execution.  It 
became  necessary,  for  our  defence,  to  resist,  by 
every  practicable  method,  such  a  formidable  foe. 

It  was  conceived,  by  a  most  ingenious  and  en- 
terprising citizen,  that  the  power  of  steam  could 
be  employed  in  propelling  a  floating  battery,  carry- 
ing heavy  guns,  to  the  destruction  of  any  hostile 
force  that  should  hover  on  the  shores,  or  enter  the 
ports,  of  our  Atlantic  frontiers.  The  perfect  and 
admirable  success  of  his  project  for  moving  boats, 
containing  travellers  and  baggage,  by  the  same 
elastic  agent,  opened  the  way  to  its  employment 
for  carrying  warriors  and  the  apparatus  for  fighting. 

The  plan  was  submitted  to  the  consideration 
of  the  Executive  of  an  enlightened  Government. 
Congress,  influenced  by  the  most  liberal  and  pa- 
triotic spirit,  appropriated  money  for  the  experi- 


248       THE    LIFE    OF    ROBERT    FULTON. 

ment ;  and  the  Navy  Department,  then  conducted 
by  the  Hon.  William  Jones,  appointed  commis- 
sioners to  superintend  the  construction  of  a  con- 
venient vessel,  under  the  direction  of  Robert  Ful- 
ton, Esq.,  the  inventor,  as  engineer,  and  Messrs. 
Adam  and  Noah  Brown  as  naval  constructors. 

The  keels  of  this  steam  frigate  were  laid  on  the 
20th  day  of  June,  1814.  The  strictest  blockade 
the  enemy  could  enforce  interrupted  the  coasting- 
trade,  and  greatly  enhanced  the  price  of  timber. 
The  vigilance  with  which  he  guarded  our  coast 
against  intercourse  with  foreign  nations,  rendered 
difficult  the  importation  of  copper  and  iron.  The 
same  impediment  attended  the  supplies  of  coal, 
heretofore  brought  to  New  York  from  Richmond 
and  Liverpool.  Lead,  in  like  manner,  was  pro- 
cured under  additional  disadvantages.  These  at- 
tempts of  the  enemy  to  frustrate  the  design  were 
vain  and  impotent.  All  the  obstacles  were  sur- 
mounted. Scarcity  of  the  necessary  woods  and 
metals  was  overcome  by  strenuous  exertions ;  and 
all  the  blockading  squadron  could  achieve  was,  not 
a  disappointment  in  the  undertaking,  but  merely 
an  increase  of  the  expense. 

So,  in  respect  to  tradesmen  and  labourers,  there 
was  an  extraordinary  difficulty.  Shipwrights  had 
repaired  to  the  lakes,  for  repelling  the  enemy,  in 


EXTRACTS    FROM    PUBLIC    RECORDS.      249 

such  numbers  that  comparatively  few  were  left  on 
the  seaboard.  A  large  proportion  of  the  men  who 
had  been  engaged  in  daily  work  had  enlisted  as 
soldiers,  and  had  marched  under  the  banners  of 
the  nation  to  the  defence  of  its  rights.  Yet,  amidst 
the  scarcity  of  hands,  a  sufficient  number  was  pro- 
cured for  the  purpose  which  the  commissioners  had 
in  charge.  An  increase  of  wages  was  the  chief 
impediment,  and  this  they  were  enabled  practi- 
cally to  overcome. 

By  the  exemplary  combination  of  diligence  and 
skill  on  the  part  of  Mr.  Fulton  and  the  construc- 
tors, the  business  was  so  accelerated  that  the  vessel 
was  launched  on  the  29th  day  of  October,  amidst 
the  plaudits  of  an  unusual  number  of  citizens. 

Measures  were  immediately  taken  to  complete 
her  equipment :  the  boilers,  the  engine,  and  the 
machinery,  were  put  on  board  with  all  possible 
expedition.  Their  weight  and  size  far  surpassed 
anything  that  had  been  witnessed  before  among 
us.  The  stores  of  artillery  of  New  York  not  fur- 
nishing the  number  and  kind  of  cannon  which  she 
was  destined  to  carry,  it  became  necessary  to  trans- 
port guns  from  Philadelphia.  A  prize  taken  from 
the  enemy  put  some  fit  and  excellent  pieces  at  the 
disposition  of  the  Navy  Department.  To  avoid 
the  danger  of  capture  by  the  enemy's  cruisers, 


250   THE  LIFE  OF  ROBERT  FULTON. 

they  were  carted  over  the  miry  roads  of  New 
Jersey.  Twenty  heavy  cannon  were  thus  con- 
veyed by  strength  of  horses,  though  the  perform- 
ance was  attended  with  a  proportionate  expense. 
Carriages  of  the  most  approved  model  were  con- 
structed, and  everything  was  done  to  bring  her 
into  prompt  action  as  an  efficient  instrument  of 
war. 

About  this  time  an  officer,  preeminent  for  bra- 
very and  discipline,  (Commodore  Porter,)  was  com- 
missioned by  the  Government  to  her  command. 
She  is  finished  conformably  to  the  plan  submitted 
to  the  Executive.  She  is  a  structure  resting  upon 
two  boats  and  keels,  separated  from  end  to  end  by 
a  canal  fifteen  feet  wide,  and  one  hundred  and  fifty- 
six  feet  long.  One  boat  contains  the  capacious 
cauldrons  of  copper  to  prepare  her  steam.  The 
vast  cylinder  of  iron,  with  its  pistons,  levers,  and 
wheels,  occupies  a  part  of  its  fellow.  The  great 
water-wheel  revolves  in  the  space  between  them. 
The  main  or  gun-deck  supported  her  armament, 
and  was  protected  by  a  bulwark  four  feet  ten 
inches  thick,  of  solid  timber :  this  is  pierced  by 
thirty  port-holes,  to  enable  as  many  32-pounders 
to  fire  redhot  balls.  With  the  expectation  of 
being  able  to  raise  the  blockade  of  New  London, 
by  destroying,  taking,  or  routing  the  enemy's  ships, 


EXTRACTS    FROM    PUBLIC    RECORDS.     251 

and,  under  the  opinion  of  Mr.  Fulton  and  Commo- 
dore Porter,  the  following  additions  were  incorpo- 
rated with  the  vessel,  viz. :  her  upper  or  spar-deck 
is  surrounded  by  a  bulwark  and  stanchions,  two 
stout  masts  are  erected  to  support  lateen-sails,  and 
two  bowsprits  for  jibs,  and  a  corresponding  rigging. 

It  must  here  be  observed  that,  under  the  ex- 
haustion of  the  treasury  and  the  temporary  de- 
pression of  public  credit,  the  commissioners  were 
exceedingly  embarrassed :  their  payments  were 
made  in  treasury  notes,  which  they  were  positively 
instructed  to  negotiate  at  par.  On  several  occa- 
sions, even  these  were  so  long  withheld  that  the 
persons  who  had  furnished  labour  and  materials 
for  the  vessel  were  importunate  for  payment,  or 
silently  discontented.  To  a  certain  extent,  the 
commissioners  pledged  their  private  credit.  The 
men  actually  broke  off,  notwithstanding  all  this, 
at  one  time :  the  work  was  retarded,  and  her  com- 
pletion unavoidably  deferred,  to  the  great  disap- 
pointment of  the  commissioners,  until  winter  ren- 
dered it  impossible  for  her  to  act. 

Under  all  this  pressure,  they  persevered  in  the 
great  object  confided  to  them.  Their  exertions, 
however,  were  retarded  by  the  premature  and 
unexpected  death  of  Mr.  Fulton.  The  world  was 
deprived  of  his  invaluable  labours  before  he  had 


252       THE    LIFE    OF    ROBERT    FULTON. 

completed  this  favourite  undertaking.  We  will 
not  inquire  wherefore,  in  the  dispensation  of  Divine 
Providence,  he  was  not  permitted  to  behold  his 
grand  conception  realized.  But  his  discoveries  sur- 
vive for  the  benefit  of  mankind,  and  will  extend  to 
unborn  generations. 

At  length,  all  matters  were  prepared  for  a  trial 
of  the  machinery  to  urge  such  an  extraordinary 
vessel  through  the  water.  This  essay  was  made 
on  the  1st  day  of  June,  1815 :  she  proved  herself 
capable  of  opposing  the  wind  and  of  stemming  the 
tide,  of  crossing  currents,  and  of  being  steered 
among  vessels  lying  at  anchor,  though  the  weather 
was  boisterous  and  the  water  rough.  Her  perform- 
ance demonstrated  that  the  project  was  successful : 
no  doubt  was  entertained  on  the  principal  subject 
—  that  a  floating  battery,  carrying  heavy  cannon, 
could  be  moved  by  steam.  The  commissioners 
returned  from  the  exercise  of  the  day  satisfied  that 
the  vessel  would  answer  the  intended  purpose,  and 
consoled  themselves  that  their  care  had  been  be- 
stowed upon  a  worthy  object.  She  was  prepared 
for  a  second  voyage  with  all  convenient  speed.  Pn 
the  4th  day  of  July,  the  vessel  was  ready  for  a 
second  experiment.  She  performed  a  trip  to  the 
sea,  eastward  of  Sandy  Hook,  and  back  again,  a 
distance  of  fifty-three  miles,  in  eight  hours  and 


EXTRACTS    FROM    PUBLIC    RECORDS.     253 

twenty-six  minutes :  a  part  of  this  time  she  had 
the  tide  against  her,  and  had  no  assistance  what- 
ever from  sails.  Of  the  gentlemen,  civil  and  mili- 
tary, who  formed  the  company  invited  to  witness 
the  experiment,  not  one  entertained  a  doubt  of 
her  fitness  for  her  intended  purpose-. 

These  arrangements  having  been  made,  a  third 
trial  of  her  powers  was  attempted  on  the  llth  day 
of  September,  with  the  weight  of  twenty-six  of 
her  long  and  ponderous  guns,  and  a  considerable 
quantity  of  ammunition  and  stores  on  board :  her 
draught  of  water  was  short  of  eleven  feet.  She 
changed  her  course,  by  inverting  the  motion  of  the 
wheel,  without  the  necessity  of  putting  about.  She 
fired  salutes  as  she  passed  the  forts,  and  she  over- 
came the  resistance  of  the  wind  and  tide  in  her 
progress  down  the  bay.  She  performed  beautiful 
manoeuvres  around  the  United  States  frigate  "JAVA," 
then  at  anchor  near  the  light-house.  She  moved 
with  remarkable  celerity,  and  she  was  perfectly 
obedient  to  her  double  helm.  It  was  observed  that 
the  explosion  of  powder  produced  very  little  con- 
cussion. The  machinery  was  not  affected  by  it  in 
the  smallest  degree.  Her  progress  during  the  firing 
was  steady  and  uninterrupted.  On  the  most  accu- 
rate calculations,  derived  from  heaving  the  log,  her 
average  velocity  was  five  miles  and  a  half  per  hour. 
22 


254   THE  LIFE  OF  ROBERT  FULTON. 

Notwithstanding  the  resistance  of  currents,  she  was 
found  to  make  headway  at  the  rate  of  two  miles  an 
hour  against  the  ebb  of  East  river,  running  three 
and  a  half  knots.  The  day's  exercise  was  satis- 
factory to  the  respectable  company  who  attended, 
beyond  their  utmost  expectations.  It  was  univer- 
sally agreed  that  we  now  possessed  a  new  auxiliary 
against  every  maritime  invader. 

The  city  of  New  York,  exposed  as  it  is,  was  now 
considered  as  having  the  means  of  rendering  itself 
invulnerable.  The  Delaware,  Chesapeake,  Long 
Island  Sound,  and  every  other  bay  and  harbor  in 
the  nation,  may  be  protected  by  the  same  tremen- 
dous power. 

Among  the  inconveniences  observable  during  the 
experiment,  was  the  heat  endured  by  the  men  who 
attended  the  fires.  To  enable  a  correct  judgment 
to  be  formed  on  this  point,  one  of  the  commission- 
ers (Dr.  Mitchell)  descended,  and  examined  by  a 
thermometer  the  temperature  of  the  hold  between 
the  two  boilers.  The  quicksilver,  exposed  to  the 
radiant  heat  of  the  burning  fuel,  rose  to  one  hun- 
dred and  sixteen  degrees  of  Fahrenheit's  scale. 
Though  exposed  thus  to  its  intensity,  he  experi- 
enced no  indisposition  afterwards.  The  analogy 
of  potteries,  forges,  glass-houses,  kitchens,  and  other 
places  where  labourers  are  habitually  exposed  to 


EXTRACTS    FROM    PUBLIC    RECORDS.      255 

high  heats,  is  familiar  to  persons  of  business  and 
reflection.  In  all  such  occupations,  the  men,  by 
proper  relays,  perform  their  services  perfectly  well. 

The  Government,  however,  will  understand  that 
the  hold  of  the  present  vessel  could  be  rendered 
cooler  by  other  apertures  for  the  admission  of  air ; 
and  that,  on  building  another  steam  frigate,  the 
comfort  of  the  firemen  might  be  provided  for  as  in 
the  ordinary  steamboat. 

The  commissioners  congratulate  the  Government 
and  the  nation  on  the  event  of  this  noble  project. 
Honourable  alike  to  its  authors  and  its  patrons,  it 
constitutes  an  era  in  warfare  and  the  arts.  The 
arrival  of  peace,  indeed,  has  disappointed  the  ex- 
pectations of  conducting  her  to  battle :  that  last 
and  conclusive  act,  of  showing  her  superiority  in 
combat,  it  has  not  been  in  the  power  of  the  com- 
missioners to  make. 

If  a  continuance  of  tranquillity  should  be  our 
lot,  and  this  steam  vessel-of-war  be  not  required 
for  the  public  defence,  the  nation  may  rejoice  that 
the  fact  we  have  ascertained  is  of  incalculably 
greater  value  than  the  expenditure ;  and  that,  if 
the  present  structure  should  perish,  we  have  the 
information,  never  to  perish,  how,  on  a  future 
emergency,  others  may  be  built.  The  requisite 
variations  will  be  dictated  by  circumstances. 


256   THE  LIFE  OF  ROBERT  FULTON. 

Owing  to  the  cessation  of  hostilities,  it  has  been 
deemed  inexpedient  to  finish  and  equip  her  as  for 
immediate  and  active  employ.  In  a  few  weeks, 
everything  that  is  incomplete  could  receive  the 
proper  adjustment. 

After  so  much  has  been  done,  and  with  such 
encouraging  results,  it  becomes  the  commissioners 
to  recommend  that  the  steam  frigate  be  officered 
and  manned  for  discipline  and  practice.  A  dis- 
creet commander,  with  a  selected  crew,  would 
acquire  experience  in  the  mode  of  navigating  this 
peculiar  vessel.  The  supplies  of.  fuel,  the  tending 
of  the  fire,  the  replenishing  of  the  expended  water, 
the  management  of  the  mechanism,  the  heating  of 
shot,  the  exercise  of  the  guns,  and  various  other 
matters,  can  only  become  familiar  by  use.  It  is 
highly  important  that  a  portion  of  seamen  and 
marines  should  be  versed  in  the  order  and  economy 
of  the  steam  frigate.  They  will  augment,  diffuse, 
and  perpetuate  knowledge.  When,  in  process  of 
time,  another  war  shall  call  for  more  structures  of 
this  kind,  men  regularly  trained  to  her  tactics  may 
be  dispatched  to  the  several  stations  where  they 
may  be  wanted.  If,  on  any  such  disposition,  the 
Government  should  desire  a  good  and  faithful  agent, 
the  commissioners  recommend  Captain  Obed  Smith 
to  notice,  as  a  person  who  has  ably  performed  the 


EXTRACTS    FROM    PUBLIC    RECORDS.     257 

duties  of  inspector,  from  the  beginning  to  the  end 
of  the  concern. 

Annexed  to  the  report,  you  will  find,  sir,  several 
statements  explanatory  of  the  subject.  A  separate 
report  of  our  colleague,  the  Honourable  Oliver 
Wolcott,  whose  removal  from  New  York  precluded 
him  from  attending  to  the  latter  part  of  the  busi- 
ness with  his  accustomed  zeal  and  fidelity,  is  here- 
with presented.  A  drawing  of  her  form  and  ap- 
pearance, by  Mr.  Morgan,  as  being  likely  to  give 
satisfaction  to  the  Department,  is  also  subjoined ; 
as,  likewise,  an  inventory  of  her  furniture  and 
effects,  and  an  account  of  the  timber  and  metals 
consolidated  in  her  fabric. 

It  is  hoped  these  communications  will  evince 
the  pains  taken  by  the  commissioners  to  execute 
the  honourable  and  responsible  trust  reposed  in 
them  by  the  Government. 

SAMUEL  L.  MITCHELL, 
THOMAS  MORRIS, 
HENRY  KUTGERS. 


22* 


WE  subjoin  the  following  copies  of  Documents, 
from  amongst  the  many  communications,  entered 
of  Record,  which  exhibit  Mr.  Fulton's  connection 
with  the  most  important  men  and  measures  of  his 
country.  As  an  Engineer,  he  evinced  the  most 
extensive  knowledge  of  Internal  Improvements, 
and  publicly  suggested  almost  every  practicable 
improvement  of  his  day, —  whilst  the  ablest  and 
wisest  officers  of  our  Government  were  pleased  to 
solicit  and  secure  his  statements,  and  profit  by  the 
information  which  his  experience  and  good  sense 
as  a  writer  rendered  so  plain  and  intelligible. 


(259) 


ROBERT  FULTON'S  LETTER  TO  GOVERNOR  MIFFLIN, 
DATED  1796. 


To  Thomas  Mifflin,  Governor  of  the  Commonwealth 
of  Pennsylvania. 

LONDON,  March  179.6. 

"SlR:  —  During  the  prosecution  of  my  experiments  on 
canal  operations,  which  are  exhibited  in  the  preceding 
treatise,  I  frequently  contemplated  their  great  importance 
to  the  States  of  America,  and  much  wish  to  awaken  the 
public  mind  to  a  full  sense  of  the  subject ;  but,  on  con- 
sidering the  habits  of  the  people  of  the  interior  country, 
accustomed  only  to  land-carriage,  I  feared  much  difficulty 
would  arise  in  removing  the  prejudice  in  favor  of  wagoning, 
and  in  raising  a  sum  of  money  adequate  to  the  first  ex- 
pense of  a  canal  of  importance.  In  deliberating  on  the 
mode  of  surmounting  these  obstacles,  I  was  so  fortunate  as 
to  meet  with  your  address  to  the  House  of  Representatives, 
in  1795,  and  particularly  happy  to  find  your  ideas  of  the 
importance  of  easy  communications  between  remote  parts 
of  the  country,  so  consonant  to  my  own,  and  at  the  same 
time  so  earnestly  recommended  to  the  public  attention : 
which  circumstance  has  urged  me  to  address  this  chapter 
to  you,  convinced  that  your  sense  of  the  subject  will  not 
suffer  any  observations  which  may  be  useful,  to  lie  dormant. 

I  must,  therefore,  request  you  deliberately  to  peruse  the 
system  laid  down,  which  you  will  find,  by  chapter  7,  totally 
explodes  the  whole  practice,  for  two  reasons :  First,  because 
they  may  be  constructed  for  half  the  sum  necessary  to  a  lock 
canal ;  and,  Secondly,  because  on  them  you  may  perform 
dispatch,  and  pass  through  the  most  mountainous  country 

(261) 


2(52    ROBERT  FULTON'S  LETTER 

at  the  speed  of  6  miles  per  hour, — an  advantage  which  lock 
canals  can  never  give,  and  which  precludes  an  immensity 
of  carriage ;  yet  the  small  canal  takes  in  every  kind  of 
conveyance,  and  performs  the  double  office  of  canal  and 
road;  therefore,  if  founded  and  governed  by  sound  prin- 
ciples, a  mountainous  country  may  have  all  the  blessings 
of  a  water  conveyance,  so  celebrated  in  the  level  and  fer- 
tile plains  of  Egypt.  But  how  to  extend  these  convey- 
ances into  every  corner  and  district  of  America,  is  now  to 
be  considered. 

While  the  mind  hovers  over  the  immense  continent  of 
America,  and  views  its  vast  interior,  inhabited,  in  various 
districts  remote  from  the  marts  of  trade,  with  infinite  scenes 
for  the  improvement  and  nourishment  of  millions  of  human 
beings,  philanthropy  seeks,  to  combine  the  exertions  of  the 
present  inhabitants  to  facilitate  their  labor,  extend  their 
interests,  invite  population,  and  give  a  cultivating  hand  to 
every  acre  of  that  extensive  territory. 

To  such  a  wish,  in  one  point  of  view,  is  presented  a  great 
and  fertile  country,  interspersed  with  luxuriant  vales,  and 
numerous  mountains  —  nourishing  infinite  rivulets,  which, 
meandering  the  country,  feed  long  and  rugged  rivers, 
diminishing  to  naked  shoals  in  dry  seasons,  or  swelling  to 
roaring  torrents  in  time  of  rain, — pressing  their  way  through 
stupendous  cliffs  and  infinite  rocks,  present  objects  hostile 
to  navigating  the  streams  of  nature. 

But  such  are  the  materials  which  art  must  bring  into 
unison ;  the  performance  of  which  is  a  subject  the  most 
'benevolent  and  important,  and  worthy  the  serious  contem- 
plation of  the  penetrating  members  of  society,  as  a  great 
national  question. 

On  this  head,  it  must  be  evident,  that  in  proportion  as 
.produce  is  remote  from  market  its  value  is  diminished,  in 
consequence  of  the  expense  of  carriage;  and,  hence,  re- 
mote parts  are  excluded  the  market,  or,  a  facility  of  ex- 


TO    GOVERNOR    MIFFLIN.  263 

changing  their  surplus  produce  for  necessaries  which  they 
may  require, — thus  the  nerves  of  exertion  are  cramped,  the 
faculties  of  body  and  mind  are  not  called  forth,  and  the 
country  remains  a  dreary  and  inhospitable  waste.  But,  to 
encourage  population,  and  increase  the  value  of  the  lands, 
the  cheapest  possible  conveyance  of  the  produce  must  be 
established  on  sound  principles ;  for,  exactly  in  proportion 
to  the  ease  of  reaching  the  market,  the  remote  countries 
of  equal  fertility  will  be  of  more  or  less  consequence  in  the 
scale  of  society ;  therefore,  to  sum  up  the  idea,  would  not 
the  lands  about  Fort  Pitt  be  as  valuable  as  those  around 
Lancaster,  if  the  produce  could  be  brought  to  market  for 
the  same  sum ;  and  would  not  population  consequently  be 
encouraged  ? 

For  this  purpose,  —  as  I  have  the  strongest  conviction 
operating  on  my  mind,  that  canals  are  the  only  effectual 
means  of  producing  easy  communications,  and  that  they 
are  consequently  of  the  utmost  importance,  —  I  much  wish 
that  the  public  may  be  made  thoroughly  sensible  of  their 
utility,  and  that  each  state  might  establish  a  society  to  in- 
vestigate the  propriety  of  forming  them  in  such  districts 
as  the  present  state  of  population  and  trade  may  most  re- 
quire them, — keeping  one  important  object  in  view,  that  all 
future  canals  may  be  constructed  on  one  scale  and  principle, 
in  order  that  when  the  various  branches  meet  the  boats, 
one  may  navigate  the  other  wherever  canals  extend.  This, 
you  will  observe,  has  been  my  wish  throughout,  and  in 
which,  I  hope,  I  have  been  so  fortunate  as  to  succeed ;  if 
so,  canals  appear  in  a  new  light,  and  are  still  more  im- 
portant than  formerly,  because  they  may  now  be  fitted  to 
every  kind  of  country,  and,  by  their  cheapness,  approach 
near  to  the  expense  of  constructing  turnpike  roads. 

At  a  period  when  a  country  is  improving  by  turnpike 
roads,  the  question  is,  whether  it  is  not  best  to  adopt  canals ; 
and  the  criterion  to  judge  of  the  propriety  of  the  canal 


264    ROBERT  FULTON'S  LETTER 


depend  on  simple  calculation,  to  the  following  effect  : 
1st,  what  is  the  expense  of  the  road  ;  2d,  what  is  the  ex- 
pense of  the  canal  ;  3d,  what  is  the  expense  of  carriage  by 
the  road  ;  4th,  what  is  the  expense  of  carriage  by  the 
canal,  —  and  probably  it  will  be  found  that  the  canal  will 
perform  the  work  so  cheap  as  to  justify  three  or  four  times 
the  sum  being  expended  on  the  canal,  that  would  be  neces- 
sary to  construct  a  road  of  the  same  length  ;  to  which  one 
consideration  must  be  added  in  favor  of  the  canal,  viz.,  on 
all  roads,  however  good,  the  great  expense  of  carriage  is 
the  number  of  horses  ;  but  on  canals,  the  principal  expense 
is  the  tonnage  or  tolls  to  the  proprietors,  as  interest  for 
the  money  advanced  in  forming  the  canal  ;  yet  this  tonnage 
by  a  judicious  arrangement,  may  be  reduced,  if  not  liquid- 
ated, and  the  carriage  on  a  canal  may  be  so  regulated,  that 
goods  conveyed  400  or  more  miles,  will  not  cost  more  than 
those  which  are  navigated  eighty  or  one  hundred  miles  ;  yet 
the  eighty  or  one  hundred  miles  canal  conveyance  will  not 
cost  half  the  sum  necessary  to  land  carriage,  on  the  best 
roads. 

To  elucidate  this,  I  will  suppose  a  canal  from  Philadel- 
phia to  Fort  Pitt,  or  any  other  long  line,  to  say,  three  hun- 
dred and  fifty  miles  :  on  such  a  canal,  a  man,  boy,  and 
horse,  would  convey  40  tons  20  miles  per  day,  and  arrive 
in  Philadelphia,  in  —  say  eighteen  days,  at  10  shillings  per 
day,  amounting  to  180  shillings  for  forty  tons,  or  4s  Qd  per 
ton,  the  expense  of  boating,  independent  of  tolls.  By  a 
road  of  the  same  length,  four  horses  —  perhaps  five,  would 
set  out  with  not  more  than  two  tons,  and,  travelling  at  the 
rate  of  twenty-five  miles  per  day,  arrive  at  Philadelphia  in 
14  days,  and,  to  say  only  two  dollars,  or  15  shillings  per 
day,  amounting  to  210  shillings,  or  5<£  5s  per  ton  for 
wagoning,  independent  of  turnpike.  This,  I  hope,  will 
exhibit  the  immense  disparity  between  the  two  modes,  and 
show  that  roads,  however  good,  can  never  effectually  relieve 


TO    GOVERNOR    MIFFLIN.  265 

a  remote  country.  The  question  then  is,  how  to  construct 
a  canal  in'order  to  reduce  the  tolls,  and  completely  assist 
the  distant  districts ;  this,  I  conceive,  will  totally  depend 
on  the  mode  of  raising  and  appropriating  a  sum  of  money 
to  the  first  fifty  or  one  hundred  miles  of  canal. 

In  this  country,  canals  are  paid  by  companies  of  sub- 
scribers, who  receive  a  toll  on  the  carriage  of  goods  as  an 
interest  for  the  money  advanced ;  and  the  immense  quantity 
of  carriage  throughout  every  part  of  this  compact  kingdom 
usually  produces  a  considerable  interest  for  the  money  ex- 
pended, while  the  expense  of  carriage  is  reduced  below  that 
of  land  conveyance ;  but  as  England  is  environed  with 
water  —  with  numerous  sea-ports,  there  is  no  part  very  re- 
mote from  the  market,  and  hence,  they  never  will  have 
canals  of  any  comparative  length  with  those  necessary  in 
America  —  to  say  seven  or  eight  hundred  miles ;  therefore, 
the  mode  of  proprietors  receiving  tonnage  at  so  much  per 
mile,  although  it  will  ever  be  much  below  land  carriage, 
yet  even  that  tonnage  would  preclude  the  market  from  the 
remote  country,  and  by  no  means  answer  for  American 
canals :  for  instance, 

£  s.  d. 

A  constructs  a  canal  fifty  miles  long,  and  \  n  8  4 
receives  two-pence  per  ton  per  mile       / 

B.  Ditto 0  8  4 

C.  Ditto 0  8  4 

D.  Ditto 0  8  4 

E.  Ditto 0  8  4 

F.  Ditto 0  8  4 

G.  Ditto...,  084 


350  miles.  £2  18    4  per  ton 

tolls,  independent  of  boating;  and  hence,  I  conceive,  the 
produce  could  not  bear  the  expense  of  carriage  by  this 
method. 

But  as  it  is,  the  produce  of  the  interior  country,  which 
23 


266    ROBERT  FULTON'S  LETTER 

must  be  drawn  forth,  the  leading  canals  should  be  national 
works,  perhaps,  by  the  following  system : 

First,  that  the  legislature,  by  such  duties  or  imposts  as 
they  conceive  most  eligible,  raise  a  sum  of  money  adequate 
to  the  expense  of  the  first  60  or  70  miles  of  canal,  —  to 
say  from  Philadelphia  to  Lancaster,  which,  perhaps,  may 
cost  £150,000,  of  which,  £30,000  per  annum  may  be 
required  till  the  canal  is  finished.  On  this  canal,  60  miles 
long,  if  I  suppose  fifty  tons  per  day  to  be  navigated  at  two 
pence  per  ton  per  mile,  allowing  two  hundred  and  eighty 
working  days  per  year,  it  would  amount  to  ,£7000  per 
annum,  which  should  be  applied  to  extending  the  canal, — 
the  tolls  on  such  extension  being  appropriated  in  like  man- 
ner to  further  extensions,  and  so  on,  —  the  toll  to  be  con- 
tinually devoted  to  forming  more  canal,  till  canals  would 
pervade  the  whole  country,  by  virtue  of  their  own  produce 
arising  from  the  tolls. 

If  this  mode  of  extending  the  canal  by  appropriating 
the  tolls  should  be  deemed  too  tedious  for  the  speedy  relief 
to  the  interior  country,  and  the  funds  of  the  state  would 
admit  of  the  advance  of  a  further  sum,  they  might  imme- 
diately extend  the  canal  two  hundred  miles,  and  receive  the 
tolls  till  the  last  advanced  sum  was  liquidated ;  or,  as  the 
proprietors  of  the  lands  in  the  interior  would  be  much 
benefited  by  their  property  being  raised  in  value,  probably 
they  might  raise  the  sum,  and  receive  the  tolls  till  such 
sum  was  liquidated ;  the  lands  being  increased  in  value, 
might  be  deemed  sufficient  interest  till  the  principal  was 
discharged,  which  would  diminish  every  year. 

If  by  either  of  these  modes,  or  any  better  which  can  be 
devised,  I  suppose  the  first  200  miles  of  canal  to  be 
formed,  the  trade  will  be  more  in  proportion  to  the  length 
than  on  the  first  sixty  miles  before  estimated :  because, 
being  more  remote  from  the  metropolis,  the  interior  inhabi- 
tants will  be  necessitated  to  fly  to  the  canal, —  the  tonnage 


TO    GOVERNORMIFFLIN.  267 

will  also  be  greater ;  therefore,  if  I  allow  on  the  200  miles 
100  tons  per  day,  to  be  navigated  at  twenty  shillings  per 
ton  for  the  whole  length,  or  in  proportion,  for  a  shorter 
distance,  the  annual  produce  would  be  <£28,000 ;  and  having 
arrived  at  such  annual  income,  canals  would  proceed  with 
dispatch,  and  progressively  increase,  both  in  riches  and 
extension ;  each  year  the  produce  of  tonnage  would  in- 
crease, and  each  year  a  greater  length  of  canal  might  be 
constructed. 

Therefore,  if  I  proceed  with  this  progressive  and  Creative 
system,  till  a  canal  reached  Fort  Pitt,  which,  with  some 
bends,  I  will  call  360  miles,  the  country  which  such  canal 
would  accommodate,  would  widen  as  it  was  more  remote 
from  Philadelphia.  For  instance,  the  man  who  lived  20 
miles  from  Philadelphia  might  convey  his  goods  seven  to 
the  canal ;  the  man  at  forty  miles  distance  might  go  14  or 
15  to  the  canal ;  at  sixty  miles,  20  to  the  canal ;  and  so 
on,  till  at  the  extremity  of  360  miles,  they  probably  would 
go  fifty  on  each  side  to  the  canal ;  hence,  if  I  average  the 
whole,  such  canal  may  be  said  to  accommodate  a  country 
360  miles  long,  and  fifty  miles  wide ;  on  which  the  tonnage 
must  now  be  regulated. 

The  man  who  resides  20  miles  from  Philadelphia,  and 
seven  from  the  canal,  should  he  convey  a  ton  of  goods  by 
land,  it  would  be  worth  at  least  fifteen  shillings,  as  it  would 
employ  a  man  and  two  horses  two  days.* 

s.     d. 

The  carriage  to  the  canal,  seven  miles,  in  like  proportion 5    0 

Carriage  on  the  canal 4     0 


Total. 


*  The  English  reader,  who  may  look  over  this  chapter,  may  perhaps 
be  surprised  at  stating  the  land  carriage  of  America  so  low.  But  as  I  do 
not  know  the  average  expense  of  that  country,  I  estimate  it  low  in 
order  to  give  it  every  advantage,  in  a  comparative  view  with  the  canal. 
In  England,  it  would  cost  at  least  one  guinea,  with  all  the  advantage  of 
good  turnpike  roads. 


268    ROBERT  FULTON'S  LETTER 

Thus  the  saving  would  be  six  shillings,  and  the  tonnage 
should  increase  to  a  certain  sum  on  the  first  hundred  miles 
of  canal,  keeping  much  within  the  limits  of  land-carriage ; 
then  decrease  as  the  boating  increased,  in  order  to  draw 
the  trade  of  the  back  country  into  the  canal. 

The  expense  of  boating  a  ton  20  miles  will  be  as  follows : 
a  man,  boy,  and  horse,  will  convey  40  tons  twenty  miles- 
for  ten  shillings,  which  is  three  pence  per  ton  for  20  miles ; 
but  to  allow  contingencies,  say  4  pence  per  ton,  for  boating 
20  miles ;  the  tonnage  and  boating  on  the  360  miles  should 
then  be  regulated,  perhaps,  in  the  following  order : 

Miles.  Tonnage.  Boating.  Amount. 


s. 

d. 

s. 

d. 

s. 

d. 

20  

4 

0 

0 

4  

4 

4 

40  

8 

0 

0 

8  

8 

8 

60  

12 

0 

1 

0  

13 

0 

80  

16 

0 

,  1 

4  

17 

4 

*100  

20 

0 

1 

8  

21 

8 

120  

19 

8 

2 

0  

21 

8 

140  

19 

4 

2 

4  

21 

8 

160  

19 

0 

2 

8  

21 

8 

180  

18 

8 

3 

0  

21 

8 

200  

18 

4 

3 

4  

21 

8 

220  

18 

0 

3 

8  

21 

8 

240  

17 

8 

4 

0  

21 

8 

260  

17 

4 

4 

4  

21 

8 

280  

17 

0 

4 

8  

21 

8 

300  

16 

8 

5 

0  

21 

8 

320  

16 

4 

5 

4 

21 

8 

340  

,  16 

0 

5 

8  

21 

8 

f360  , 

15 

8 

..  6 

0  

21 

8 

By  this  system,  the  country  at  the  extremity  of  360 
miles,  would  deliver  goods  at  Philadelphia  for  twenty-one 

*  This  being  within  the  limits  of  land-carriage,  the  tonnage  must  now 
begin  to  decrease  as  the  boating  is  increased. 

•}•  If  the  boats  return  without  back-carriage,  the  expense  of  boating, 
which  on  the  360  miles  is  six  shillings,  must  be  deducted  from  the  tolls ; 
and  in  proportion  on  the  various  parts  of  the  canal. 


TO    GOVERNOR    MIFF LIN.  269 

shillings  and  eight  pence ;  which  is  the  same  as  paid  at  the 
distance  of  one  hundred  miles ;  to  which  the  land  carriage 
to  the  canal  must  be  added.  But  as  such  a  system  would 
open  a  market  to  the  remote  country,  every  acre  of  ground 
within  reach  of  the  canal  would  become  more  valuable,  and 
the  carriage  to  the  canal  must  be  borne  for  some  years. 
But  as  population  increased,  and  the  tonnage  on  the  main 
line  became  productive,  lateral  branches  would  be  cut  from 
the  canal,  and  thus  further  improve  the  country  ;  the  ton- 
nage on  such  branches  being  proportioned,  as  before  stated, 
according  to  the  distance  from  the  city. 

The  carriage  on  such  canal  would  consequently  be  im- 
mense;   for,  as  I  before  stated,  it  would  accommodate  a 
country  360  miles  long,  fifty  miles  wide  in  the  main,  con- 
taining eighteen  thousand  square  miles,  or  eleven  million 
five  hundred  and  twenty  thousand  acres.     If,  by  further 
improvement,  I  allow  that  only  every  fiftieth  acre  will  pro- 
duce one  ton  of  carriage  per  annum,  the  amount  would  be 
two  hundred  and  thirty  thousand  four  hundred  tons ;  which 
appears,  by  averaging  the  preceding  tonnage,  would  cost 
15  shillings  per  ton,  in  tolls,  to  the  canal,  amounting  to 
X172,800  per  annum,  in  order  to  construct  further  canals; 
a  sum  adequate  to  forming,  perhaps,  eighty  or  one  hundred 
miles  per  year ;  having  arrived  at  such  a  length,  it  is  evi- 
dent, canals  would  increase  with  astonishing  rapidity,  and 
produce  conveniences,  even  beyond  the  limits  of  calcula- 
tion ;  for  it  must  be  observed,  and  strictly  adhered  to,  that 
by  canals  you  may  equalize  the  carriage  of  the  near  and 
remote  country,  as  before  exhibited  by  the  mode  of  regu- 
lating the  boating  with  the  tonnage,  in  proportion  to  the 
extent ;  inasmuch  as  that  a  ton  of  goods  may  be  carried 
360  miles  for  <£!.  1.  8.     Yet  was  I  to  extend  the  idea  to  a 
still  more  distant  district,  by  reducing  the  tonnage  as  the 
boating  increased,  till  the  tolls  were  annihilated,  and  the 
boating  amounted  to  «fil.  1.  8 ;  a  ton  of  goods  might  be 
23* 


270    ROBERT  FULTON'S  LETTER 

boated  thirteen  hundred  miles  for  that  sum;  yet  a  ton 
could  not  be  wagoned  the  same  distance  for  less  than  £38. 
10s.,  so  great  is  the  disparity  between  land  and  water- 
carriage. 

Hence  it  must  be  evident,  that  roads,  however  good,  can 
never  effectually  assist  the  remote  country ;  each  mile  is 
attended  with  a  heavy  expense  on  carriage,  till  penetrating 
so  far,  that  the  value  of  the  produce  is  consumed  in  car- 
riage ;  it  terminates  in  a  luxuriant  wilderness,  sable  and 
uncultivated  as  the  interior  of  Africa.  But  by  canals,  the 
conveyance  may  be  so  easy,  that  they  may  penetrate  the 
most  remote  districts,  draw  down  the  produce  to  the  ports 
of  trade,  and  bear  up  the  various  conveniences  of  life ;  thus 
each  man  may  exchange  his  surplus  labor  for  the  neces- 
saries or  luxuries  which  he  may  require ;  hence  his  facul- 
ties will  be  put  into  action,  cultivation  will  flourish,  and 
enjoyment  be  more  equally  diffused;  canals  will  pass 
through  every  vale,  meander  round  each  hill,  and  bind  the 
whole  country  in  the  bonds  of  social  intercourse ;  hence 
population  will  be  increased,  each  acre  of  land  will  become 
valuable,  industry  will  be  stimulated,  and  the  nation,  gam- 
ing strength,  will  rise  to  unparalleled  importance,  by  virtue 
of  so  powerful  an  ally  as  canals. 

Having  exhibited  the  immense  disparity  between  canals 
and  roads,  with  the  mode  of  extending  canals  in  every  di- 
rection, by  appropriating  the  tolls ;  it  is  evident,  that  such 
a  system  will  produce  infinite  navigation.  But  the  mode 
of  constructing  them  must  be  maturely  considered ;  and  in 
this  two  things  must  be  scrupulously  adhered  to. 

First,  that  canals  may  truly  benefit  a  country,  it  is" 
necessary  the  passage  should  be  performed  with  equal  ease 
each  way.  Second,  that  the  nearest  course  should  be 
taken  to  the  principal  points  of  the  country ;  and  for  both 
these  reasons,  the  beds  of  the  rivers,  beyond  tide,  must 


TO    GOVERNOR    MIFF LIN.  271 

almost  universally  be  forsaken  ;*  because  torrents,  in  time 
of  rain,  which  is  extremely  injurious  to  the  works  of  art, 
with  the  shoals  in  dry  seasons,  together  with  the  current 
ever-standing  one  way,  will  very  frequently  interrupt  free 
intercourse,  and  render  fresh-water  river  navigations  pre- 
carious. 

The  rivers,  creeks,  and  rivulets,  which  are  numerous  in 
all  parts,  must  be  considered  as  the  feeders  of  canals ;  and 
in  this  respect,  having  an  abundance  of  water,  America  is 
very  fortunate ;  land  is  also  cheap  and  timber  plenty,  so 
that  the  great  expense  of  an  American  canal  would  be 
labor. 

Therefore,  as  it  is  the  channels  of  art  which  can  only 
effectually  assist  the  country,  I  have  constantly  endea- 
vored to  find  a  system  which  might  pass  by  the  straightest 
line  to  a  given  point ;  hence  you  will  observe  the  mode  of 
mounting  hills,  crossing  valleys,  rivers,  and  defiles,  by  the 
various  machines;  which,  I  hope,  will  display  an  easy 
means  of  extending  water  communications  through  a  great 
continent,  and  bear  the  mind  to  those  days,  when  a  well 
directed  economy  in  manual  labor  will  give  enlightened 
and  rational  enjoyment  to  many  millions  of  inhabitants : 
hoping,  that  this  important  subject  will  make  a  part  of  the 
deliberation  of  a  wise  legislature, 

I  remain,  with  all  possible  respect, 

Tour's  sincerely, 

ROBERT  FULTON. 

*  By  forsaking  the  beds  of  rivers,  I  mean,  that  they  should  not  com- 
pose or  make  a  principal  part  of  a  leading  canal ;  yet,  however  numerous 
canals  may  be,  it  will  frequently  happen  that  some  miles  of  a  river  will 
afford  easy  navigation  in  particular  seasons,  and  probably  touch  the  lead- 
ing canals  into  which  the  goods,  or  perhaps  boats,  may  be  transferred 
from  the  river ;  for  small  boats  will  live  on  the  American  rivers  in  par- 
ticular parts  and  seasons,  of  which  there  are  innumerable  instances  by 
the  batteaus  and  even  canoes. 


ROBERT  FULTON'S  LETTER  TO  ALBERT  GALL ATIN— 1807. 
l 


In  the  Report  of  the  Hon.  Albert  Gallatin,  Secretary 
of  the  U.  S.  Treasury,  transmitted  to  the  U.  S. 
Senate,  April  4,  1808,  we  find  the  following  com- 
munication from  Mr.  Fulton. 

WASHINGTON,  December  8th,  1807. 

"  SIR  :— By  your  letter  of  the  29th  of  July,  I  am  happy 
to  find  that  the  attention  of  Congress  is  directing  itself 
towards  the  opening  of  communications  through  the  United 
States,  by  means  of  roads  and  canals ;  and  it  would  give 
me  particular  pleasure  to  aid  you,  with  useful  information 
on  such  works,  as  I  have  long  been  contemplating  their 
importance  in  many  points  of  view. 

But  a  year  has  not  yet  elapsed  since  I  returned  to 
America,  and  my  private  concerns  occupied  so  much  of  my 
time,  that,  as  yet,  I  have  acquired  but  very  little  local 
information  on  the  several  canals  which  have  been  com- 
menced. 

Such  information,  however,  is,  perhaps,  at  present,  not 
the  most  important  branch  of  the  subject,  particularly  as 
it  can  be  obtained  in  a  few  months  at  a  small  expense, 
whenever  the  public  mind  shall  be  impressed  with  a  sense 
of  the  vast  advantages  of  a  general  system  of  cheap  con- 
veyance. I  hope,  indeed,  that  every  intelligent  American 
will,  in  a  few  years,  be  fully  convinced  of  the  necessity  of 
such  works  to  promote  the  national  wealth,  and  his  indi- 
vidual interest.  Such  conviction  must  arise  from  that 
habit  of  reflection  which  accompanies  the  republican  prin- 
ciple, and  points  out  their  true  interest  on  subjects  of  po- 

(272) 


ROBERT  FULTON'S  LETTER    273 

litical  economy.  From  such  reflection  arises  their  love  of 
agriculture,  and  the  useful  arts,  knowing  them  to  augment 
the  riches  and  happiness  of  the  nation ;  hence  also  their 
dislike  to  standing  armies  and  military  navies,  as  being  the 
means  of  increasing  the  proportion  of  non-productive  indi- 
viduals, whose  labor  is  not  only  lost,  but  who  must  be  sup- 
ported out  of  the  produce  of  the  industrious  inhabitants, 
and  diminish  their  enjoyments. 

Such  right  thinking  does  great  honor  to  our  nation,  and 
leads  forward  to  the  highest  possible  state  of  civilization, 
by  directing  the  powers  of  man  from  useless  and  destruc- 
tive occupations  to  pursuits  which  multiply  the  productions 
of  useful  labor,  and  create  abundance. 

Though  such  principles  actuate  our  citizens,  they  are 
not  yet,  in  every  instance,  aware  of  their  best  interests ; 
nor  can  it  be  expected  that  they  should  perceive,  at  once, 
the  advantages  of  those  plans  of  improvement  which  are 
still  new  in  this  country.  Hence  the  most  useful  works 
have  sometimes  been  opposed,  and  we  are  not  without  ex- 
amples of  men  being  elected  into  the  State  Legislatures 
for  the  express  purpose  of  preventing  roads,  canals,  and 
bridges  being  constructed.  But  in  such  errors  of  judg- 
ment our  countrymen  have  not  been  singular. 

When  a  bill  was  brought  into  the  British  Parliament,  50 
years  ago,  to  establish  turnpike-roads  throughout  the  king- 
dom, the  inhabitants  for  forty  miles  around  London,  peti- 
tioned against  such  roads  ;  their  arguments  were,  that  good 
roads  would  enable  the  farmers  of  the  interior  country  to 
bring  their  produce  to  the  London  markets  cheaper  than 
they  who  lived  nearer  the  city,  and  paid  higher  rents ;  that 
the  market  would  be  overstocked,  the  prices  diminished, 
and  they  unable  to  pay  their  rents  or  obtain  a  living.  The 
good  sense  of  Parliament,  however,  prevailed,  the  roads 
were  made,  the  population  and  commerce  of  London  in- 
creased, the  demand  for  produce  increased,  and  he  who 


274    ROBERT  FULTON'S  LETTER 

lived  nearest  to  London  still  had  a  superior  advantage  in 
the  market. 

In  like  manner,  I  hope  the  good  sense  of  our  Legisla- 
ture will  prevail  over  the  ignorance  and  prejudice  which 
may  still  exist  against  canals.  And  here  an  important 
question  occurs,  which  it  may  be  proper  to  examine  with 
some  attention, — in  this  early  stage  of  our  public  improve- 
ments, whether,  as  a  system,  we  should  prefer  canals  to 
turnpike  roads.  Our  habits  are  in  favor  of  roads,  and  few 
of  us  have  conceived  any  b'etter  method  of  opening  com- 
munications to  the  various  parts  of  the  States.  But  in 
China  and  Holland,  canals  are  more  numerous  than  roads ; 
in  those  countries  the  inhabitants  are  accustomed  to  see 
all  their  productions  carried  either  on  natural  or  artificial 
canals ;  and  they  would  be  as  much  at  a  loss  to  know  how 
we,  as  a  civilized  people,  could  do  without  such  means  of 
conveyance,  as  we  are  surprised  at  their  perseverance  and 
ingenuity  in  making  them.*  England,  France,  and  the 
principal  states  of  Europe,  commenced  their  improvements 
with  roads ;  but  as  the  science  of  the  engineer  improved, 
and  civilization  advanced,  canals  were  introduced,  and 
England  and  France  are  now  making  every  exertion  to  get 
the  whole  of  their  heavy  productions  water-borne ;  for  they 
have  become  sensible  of  the  vast  superiority  of  canals  over 
roads. 

Our  system,  perhaps,  ought  to  embrace  them  both, — 
canals  for  the  long  carriage  of  the  whole  materials  of  agri- 
culture and  manufactures,  and  roads  for  travelling,  and  the 
more  numerous  communications  of  the  country.  With  ' 
these  two  modes  in  contemplation,  when  public  money  is  to 
be  expended  with  a  view  to  the  greatest  good,  we  should 
now  consider  which  object  is  entitled  to  our  first  attention. 


*  The  Royal  Canal  from  Canton  to   Pekin  is  825  miles  long;   its 
breadth,  50  feet ;  its  depth,  nine  feet. 


TO    ALBERT    GALLATIN.  275 

Shall  we  begin  with  canals,  which  will  carry  the  farmer's 
produce  cheap  to  market,  and  return  him  merchandise  at 
reduced  prices  ?  Or  shall  we  first  make  roads  to  accommo- 
date travellers,  and  let  the  produce-  of  our  mines  and 
forests  labor  under  such  heavy  expenses  that  they  cannot 
come  to  market  ? 

To  throw  some  light  on  this  interesting  question,  I  will 
base  my  calculations  on  the  Lancaster  turnpike  road. 
There  the  fair  experiment  has  been  made  to  penetrate 
from  Philadelphia  to  the  interior  country,*  and  the  mode 
of  calculation  here  given  will  serve  for  drawing  compari- 
sons on  the  utility  of  roads  and  canals  for  all  the  great 
leading  communications  of  America. 

From  Philadelphia  to  the  Susquehanna,  at  Columbia,  is 
seventy-four  miles ;  that  road,  if  I  am  rightly  informed, 
cost,  on  an  average,  6000  dollars  a  mile,  or  444,000  dollars 
for  the  whole.  On  it,  from  Columbia  to  Philadelphia,  a 
barrel  of  flour,  say  200cwt,  pays  one  dollar  carriage.  A 
broad-wheel  wagon  carries  30  barrels,  or  3  tons,  and  pays 
for  turnpike  three  dollars ;  thus,  for  each  ton  carried,  the 
turnpike  company  receives  only  one  dollar. 

April  9,  1792.  —  The  Legislature  of  Pennsylvania  appointed  Elliston 
Perot,  Henry  Drinker,  Jr.,  Owen  Jones,  Jr.,  Israel  Whelen,  and  Cad- 
wallader  Evans,  of  Philadelphia,  and  Edward  Hand,  John  Hubley,  Paul 
Zantzinger,  Matthias  Slough,  and  Abraham  Witmer,  of  Lancaster,  the 
Commissioners  to  make  an  Artificial  Road  from  Philadelphia  to  Lan- 
caster. This  was  the  first  extensive  turnpike  that  was  completed  in  the 
United  States,  and  was  the  first  link  of  the  great  western  communication 
from  Philadelphia.  The  distance  from  the  Schuylkil  river,  along  said 
Road  to  Lancaster,  is  sixty-two  miles  and  a  quarter.  Exclusively  of  the 
side  or  summer-roads,  twenty-four  feet  of  the  bed  of  the  road  are 
covered  with  a  stratum  of  pounded  stones  eighteen  inches  thick  in  the 
middle  of  the  road,  and  decreasing  each  way  to  twelve  inches.  The 
Valley  hills  are  the  most  elevated  and  steep  on  the  road,  but  the  angle  of 
ascent  nowhere  exceeds  four  degrees.  Stone  bridges  were  erected 
across  all  the  intervening  streams.  That  across  the  river  Conestoga,  con- 
sisting of  nine  arches  of  solid  masonry,  was  erected  by  Mr.  Abraham 
Witmer,  as  his  private  property,  by  an  Act  of  the  Legislature  of  1798, 


276    ROBERT  FULTON'S  LETTER 

I  will  now  suppose  a  canal  to  have  been  cut  from  Phila- 
delphia to  Columbia,  and,  with  its  windings,  to  make  100 
miles,  at  $15,000  a  mile;*  or,  for  the  whole,  $1,500,000. 
On  such  canal,  one  man,  one  hoy,  and  horse  would  convey 
twenty-five  tons  20  miles  a  day,f  on  which  the  following 
would  be  the  expenses ; 

$  cts.     u 

One  man 1  00 

One  horse 1  00 

One  boy 50 

Tolls  for  repairing  the  canal 1  00 

Tolls  for  passing  locks,  inclined  planes,  tunnels,  and  aqueducts...  1  00 

Interest  on  the  wear  of  the  boat 50 

Total $5  00 

This  is  equal  to  20  cents  a  ton  for  20  miles,  and  no 
more  than  one  dollar  a  ton  for  one  hundred  miles,  instead 
of  $10,  paid  by  the  road.  Consequently,  for  each  ton 
carried  from  Columbia  to  Philadelphia  on  the  canal, 
the  Company  might  take  a  toll  of  $6,  instead  of  one, 
which  is  now  got  by  the  road ;  and  then  the  flour  would 

and  cost  him  about  $30,000,  and  it  is  well  known  as  "  Witmer's  perma- 
nent bridge."  Another  bridge  was  erected  by  the  Company  across  the 
Brandywine,  consisting  of  three  arches  of  solid  masonry,  and  which  cost 
them  $12,000.  The  capital  of  the  Company  amounted  to  $360,000 ;  but 
this  being  insufficient,  it  became  necessary  -to  apply  a  considerable  por- 
tion of  the  tolls  to  the  completion  of  the  work.  In  1798  a  Company  was 
incorporated  to  build  a  bridge  across  the  Schuylkill  River,  to  connect  the 
Turnpike  with  the  City,  and  the  most  expensive,  and  the  first  in  the 
United  States,  was  the  Permanent  Schuylkill  Bridge,  near  Philadelphia, 
erected  by  the  Company  at  an  expense  of  300,000  dollars.  Its  length 
was  750  feet,  and  width  42  feet. 

*  On  averaging  the  canals  of  America,  $15,000  a  mile  will  be  abun- 
dantly sufficient  to  construct  them  in  the  best  manner,  particularly  if 
made  upon  the  inclined  plane  principle,  with  small  boats,  each  carrying 
six  tons. 

f  One  horse  will  draw,  on  a  canal,  from  25  to  50  tons,  20  miles  in  one 
day.  I  have  stated  the  least  they  ever  do,  and  the  highest  rate  of 
charges,  that  no  deception  may  enter  into  their  calculations. 


TO    ALBERT    GALLATIN.  277 

arrive  at  Philadelphia  for  $7  a  ton,  instead  of  ten,  which 
it  now  pays.  The  merchandise  would  also  arrive  at  Colum- 
bia, from  Philadelphia,  for  $3  a  ton  less  than  is  now  paid, 
which  cheap  carriage,  both  ways,  would  not  only  benefit 
the  farmer  and  merchant,  but  would  draw  more  commerce 
on  the  canal  than  now  moves  on  the  road,  and  thereby  add 
to  the  profits  of  the  Company. 

But  to  proceed  with  my  calculation.  I  will  suppose  that 
exactly  the  same  number  of  tons  would  move  on  the  canal 
that  are  now  transported  by  the  road.  Again,  let  it  be 
supposed,  that  at  one  dollar  a  ton,  the  Turnpike  Company 
gains  5  per  cent,  per  annum,  on  their  capital  of  $444,000, 
or,  $22,900 ;  consequently,  22,200  tons  must  be  carried, 
which,  at  $6  a  ton  to  the  Canal  Company,  would  have 
given  $133,300  a  year,  or  eight  and  a  half  per  cent,  for 
their  capital  of  $1,500,000. 

The  reason  of  this  vast  difference  in  the  expense  of  car- 
riage by  roads  or  canals,  will  be  obvious  to  any  one  who 
will  take  the  trouble  to  reflect  that,  on  a  road  of  the  best 
kind,  four  horses,  and  sometimes  five,  are  necessary  to 
transport  only  three  tons.  On  a  canal  one  horse  will  draw 
twenty-five  tons,  and  thus  perform  the  work  of  forty  horses. 
The  saving,  therefore,  is  in  the  value  of  the  horses,  their 
feeding,  shoeing,  gear,  wagons,  and  attendance.  These 
facts  should  induce  companies  to  consider  well  their  inte- 
rests, when  contemplating  an  enterprise  of  this  sort,  and 
what  would  be  their  profits,  not  only  in  interest  for  their 
capital,  but  the  benefit  which  their  lands  would  receive  by 
the  cheap  carriage  of  manure  and  of  their  productions. 

In  considering  the  profit  to  accrue  to  a  company,  from 
a  canal  instead  of  roads,  there  is  another  important  calcu- 
lation to  be  made ;  and  for  that  purpose  I  will  proceed 
with  the  Lancaster  turnpike,  supposing  it  to  extend  to 
Pittsburg,  320  miles,  on  which,  the  carriage  being  at  the 
rate  now  paid  from  Columbia  to  Philadelphia,  that  is,  $10 
•24 


278    ROBERT  FULTON'S  LETTER 

a  ton  for  74  miles,  the  ton  from  Pittsburg  would  amount  to 
$42,  at  which  price,  a  barrel  of  flour  would  cost  $4  in  car- 
riage, an  expense  which  excludes  it  from  the  market.  Thus, 
grain,  the  most  important  and  abundant  production  of  our 
interior  country,  and  which  should  give  vigour  to  our  manu- 
factures, is  shut  up  in  the  districts  most  favourable  to  its 
culture ;  or,  to  render  it  portable,  and  convert  it  into  cash, 
it  must  be  distilled,  to  brutalize  and  poison  society.  In 
like  manner,  all  heavy  articles  of  little  monied  value  can 
only  move  within  the  narrow  limits  of  one  hundred  miles ; 
but  were  a  canal  made  the  whole  distance,  and  by  one  or 
more  companies,  they  might  arrange  the  tolls  in  the  fol- 
lowing manner,  so  as  to  favor  the  long  carriage  of  heavy 
articles : 

The  expense  of  man,  boy,  and  horse,  as  before  stated, 
would  cost  only  three  dollars  to  boat  one  ton  of  flour  300 
miles ;  this  is  thirty  cents  a  barrel.  Suppose,  then,  that 
the  company  received  seventy  cents  a  barrel,  or  $7  a  ton, 
flour  could  then  come  from  Pittsburg  to  Philadelphia  for 
$1  a  barrel,  the  sum  which  is  now  paid  from  Columbia. 
Thus,  the  canal  company  would  gain  $7  a  ton  by  a  trade 
which  could  never  move  through  a  road  of  equal  length. 
Here  we  see  that  on  canals  the  tolls  may  be  so  arranged 
as  to  draw  to  them  articles  of  little  monied  value ;  and  it 
would  be  the  interest  of  the  company  or  companies  to  make 
such  regulations.  But  on  turnpike-roads  no  such  accomo- 
dation  of  charges,  in  proportion  to  distance,  can  be  effected, 
because  of  the  number  of  horses,  which  cannot  be  dispensed 
with.*  Even  were  the  roads  made  at  the  public  expense, 
and  toll  free,  still  the  carriage  of  one  ton  for  three  hundred 

*  In  my  work  on  small  canals,  published  in  1796,  page  140,  there  is  a 
table  showing  a  mode  of  regulating  the  boating  and  tonnage  in  such  a 
manner  that  a  ton  may  be  transported  one  thousand  three  hundred  miles 
for  $5,  yet  by  this  method  canal  companies  would  gain  more  toll  than  by 
any  other  means  yet  practised. 


TO    ALBERT    GALLATIN.  279 

miles  would  cost,  at  least  $35.  But  were  canals  made  at 
the  public  expense,  and  no  other  toll  demanded  than  should 
be  sufficient  to .  keep  them  in  repair,  a  ton  in  boating  and 
tolls  would  only  cost  $3  for  300  miles,  and  for  $35,  the 
sum  which  must  be  paid  to  carry  one  ton  300  miles  on  the 
best  of  roads,  it  could  be  boated  3,500  miles,  and  draw 
resources  from  the  centre  of  this  vast  continent. 

But,  striking  as  this  comparison  is,  I  will  still  extend  it. 
The  merchandize  which  can  bear  the  expense  of  the  car- 
riage on  our  present  roads  to  Pittsburg,  Kentucky,  Ten- 
nessee, or  any  other  distance  of  300  miles,  and  which  for 
that  distance  pays  $100  a  ton,  could  be  boated  on  canals 
10,000  miles  for  that  sum.  t 

As  these  calculations  are  founded  on  facts  which  will 
not  be  denied  by  any  one  acquainted  with  the  advantages 
of  canals,  it  is  the  interest  of  every  man  of  landed  pro- 
perty, and  particularly  of  the  farmers  of  the  back  countries, 
that  canals  should  be  immediately  constructed,  and  ren- 
dered as  numerous  as  the  funds  of  the  Nation  will  permit, 
and  the  present  population  requires ;  and,  as  inhabitants 
multiply  most  toward  the  interior  and  must  extend  west- 
ward, still  moving  more  distant  from  the  sea-coast  and  the 
market  for  their  produce,  it  is  good  policy  and  right  that 
canals  should  follow  them. 

In  25  years,  our  population  will  amount  to  14  millions, 
two-thirds  of  whom  will  spread  over  the  Western  countries. 
Suppose,  then,  that  3,500,000  dollars  were  annually  appro- 
priated to  canals  :  such  a  sum  would  pay  for  300  miles  of 
canals,  each  year,  and  in  20  years  we  should  have  6000 
miles  circulating  through,  and  penetrating  into  the  interior 
of  the  different  states.  Such  sums,  though  seemingly 
large,  and  such  works,  though  apparently  stupendous,  are 
not  more  than  sufficient  to  keep  pace  with  the  rapid  in- 
crease of  our  population,  to  open  a  market,  and  carry  to 
every  district  such  foreign  articles  as  we,  near  the  coast, 


280          ROBERT  FULTON'S  LETTER 

enjoy.  With  this  view  of  the  subject  arises  a  political 
question  of  the  utmost  magnitude,  to  these  states,  which 
is,  that,  as  our  national  debt  diminishes,  and  the  treasury 
increases  in  surplus  revenue,  will  it  not  be  the  best  interest 
of  the  people  to  continue  the  present  duties  on  imports, 
and  expend  the  products  in  national  improvements  ? 

To  illustrate  this  question,  I  will  state  some  examples  of 
the  rate  of  duties,  and  the  expense  of  carriage,  to  prove 
that,  by  keeping  on  the  duties,  and  making  canals  with  the 
revenue,  goods,  in  a  great  number  of  instances,  will  be 
cheaper  to  the  consumer  than  by  taking  off  the  duties,  and 
leaving  the  transport  to  roads. 

FIRST  EXAMPLE. 

Brown  sugar  pays  in  duty  2^  cents  per  lb.,  or  for  100  Ibs $2.50 

It  pays  for  wagoning  300  miles 5.00 

Total $7.50 

By  the  canal,  it  would  cost,  in  boating,  15  cents  for  300 
miles ;  consequently,  the  boating  and  duty  would  amount 
to  $2.65 ;  therefore,  by  keeping  on  the  duty,  and  making 
the  canal,  sugar  would  arrive  at  the  interior,  800  miles, 
$2.35  the  cwt.  cheaper  than  if  the  duties  were  taken  off, 
and  the  transport  left  to  roads. 

SECOND  EXAMPLE. 

One  bushel  of  salt,  weighing  56  Ibs.,  paid  in  duty $0.20 

To  carry  it  300  miles  by  roads,  the  expenses  are. 2.50 


Total $2.70 

By  the  canal,  it  would  cost,  for  boating  300  miles,  seven 
and  a  half  cents.  By  keeping  on  the  duties,  and  making 
the  canals,  it  would  arrive  to  the  interior  consumer  six  and 
a  half  cents  the  bushel  cheaper  than  were  the  duties  taken 
off,  and  the  transport  left  to  roads. 


TO    ALBERT    GALLATIN.  281 

THIRD  EXAMPLE. 

Molasses  pays  5  cents  a  gallon  duty,  this  is,  for  100  Ibs $0.75 

It  pays  for  wagoning  300  miles 5.00 

Total $5.75 

By  the  canal,  the  carriage  would  cost  15  cents,  and  it 
would  arrive  at  the  interior  at  $4.10  the  cwt.,  or  27  cents 
a  gallon  cheaper  than  were  the  duties  taken  off,  and  the 
transport  left  to  roads. 

Numerous  other  articles  might  be  stated  to  show  that 
the  real  mode  of  rendering  them  cheap  to  the  interior-con- 
sumer is  to  keep  on  the  duties,  and  facilitate  the  carriage 
with  the  funds  so  raised. 

These,  however,  may  be  considered  as  partial  benefits, 
and  not  sufficiently  general  to  warrant  keeping  on  the 
duties ;  but  there  is  a  point  of  view  in  which  I  hope  it  will 
appear  that  the  advantages  are  general,  and  will  be  felt 
throughout  every  part  of  the  states.  It  is  by  reducing  the 
expense  of  all  kinds  of  carriage,  and  thus  economise  to 
each  individual  more  than  he  now  pays  in  duty  on  the 
foreign  articles  he  consumes ;  for  example,  wood  for  fuel  is 
an  article  of  the  first  necessity  ;  it  cannot  bear  the  expense 
of  transport  20  miles,  on  roads ;  at  that  distance  it  is  shut 
out  from  the  market,  and  the  price  of  fuel  is,  consequently, 
raised  to  the  amount  of  carriage  ;  were  a  cord  of  wood 
carried  20  miles  on  roads,  it  would  pay,  for  wagoning,  at 
least  $3 ;  on  a  canal  it  would  pay  20  cents ;  thus,  on  only 
one  cord  of  wood,  there  is  an  economy  of  $2.80. 

Which  economy  would  pay  the  duty  on  14  pounds  of  tea, 
at  20  cents  the  pound  duty ;  or  140  pounds  of  sugar,  at  2 
cents  the  pound  duty ;  or  56  pounds  of  coffee,  at  5  cents 
the  pound  duty;  or  14  bushels  of  salt,  at  20  cents  the 
bushel  duty ;  or  56  gallons  of  molasses,  at  5  cents  the 
gallon  duty. 
'24* 


282    ROBERT  FULTON'S  LETTER 

I  will  now  suppose  a  city  of  50,000  inhabitants,  who, 
for  their  household  and  other  uses,  will  consume  50,000 
cords  a  year,  on  which  there  would  be  an  economy  of 
$140,000 ;  a  sura,  in  all,  probably  equal  to  the  duties  paid 
by  the  inhabitants ;  for  the  duties  divided  on  the  whole  of 
the  American  people,  is  but  $2.28  to  each  individual ;  here 
I  have  estimated  each  person  to  pay  $2.80 ;  yet  this  esti- 
mate is  made  on  one  cord  of  wood  to  each  inhabitant  of  a 
city ;  were  I  to  calculate  the  economy  on  the  carriage  of 
building  timber,  lime,  sand,  bricks,  stone,  iron,  flour,  corn, 
provisions,  and  materials  of  all  kinds  which  enter  or  go  out 
of  a  city,  it  would  be  five  times  this  sum ;  and  thus  the 
towns  and  cities  are  to  be  benefited.  The  farmer  or  miller 
who  lives  20  miles  from  a  market,  pays  at  least  22  cents  to 
wagon  a  barrel  of  flour  that  distance;  by  the  canal  it 
would  cost  two  cents,  the  economy  would  be  20  cents  ;  at 
100  miles  the  economy  would  be  100  cents,  and  at  150 
miles  it  would  be  150  cents ;  beyond  this  distance  the  flour 
cannot  come  to  market  by  roads ;  yet  at  this  distance,  the 
economy  of  150  cents  on  the  carriage  of  one  barrel  of 
flour  would  pay  the  duty  on  7J  pounds  of  tea ;  or  75 
pounds  of  sugar ;  or  30  pounds  of  coffee ;  or  7J  bushels 
of  salt ;  or  30  gallons  of  molasses. 

Thus  it  is,  that  the  benefits  arising  from  a  good  system 
of  canals  are  general  and  mutual ;  therefore,  should  peace 
and  the  reduction  of  the  national  debt  give  an  overflowing 
treasury,  I  hope  you  and  the  majority  of  Americans  will 
think  with  me  that  the  duties  should  not  be  taken  off,  nor 
diminished ;  for  such  an  act,  instead  of  relieving  the 
people,  would  really  oppress  them,  by  destroying  the  means 
of  reducing  the  expense  of  transport,  and  of  opening  to 
them  a  cheap  mode  of  arriving  at  good  markets.  To  pro- 
ceed with  these  demonstrations,  let  us  look  at  the  rich  pro- 
ductions of  our  interior  country :  wheat,  flour,  oats,  barley, 
beans,  grain,  and  pulse  of  all  kinds,  cider,  apples,  and 


TO    ALBERT    GALLATIN.  283 

fruits  of  all  kinds,  salt,  salted  beef,  pork  and  other  meats,* 
hides,  tallow,  bees'-wax,  cast  and  forged  iron,  pot  and  pearl 
ashes,  tanners'  bark,  tar,  pitch,  rosin  and  turpentine,  hemp, 
flax  and  wool,  plaster-of-paris,  so  necessary  to  our  agri- 
culture, coals  and  potters'  earth  for  our  manufactures, 
marble,  lime,  and  timber  for  our  buildings. 

All  of  these  articles  are  of  the  first  necessity,  but  none 
of  them  can  bear  the  expense  of  $5  the  cwt.,  to  be  trans- 
ported 300  miles  on  roads ;  yet,  on  canals,  they  would  cost, 
in  boating,  only  15  cents  the  cwt.  for  that  distance. 

There  is  another  great  advantage  to  individuals  arid  the 
nation,  arising  from  canals,  which  roads  can  never  give. 
It  is,  that  when  a  canal  runs  through  a  long  line  of  mount- 
ainous country,  such  as  the  greater  part  of  the  interior  of 
America,  all  the  grounds  below  for  half  a  mile  or  more 
may  be  watered  and  converted  into  meadows,  and  other 
profitable  culture.  How  much  these  conveniences  of  irriga- 
tion will  add  to  the  produce  of  agriculture,  and  the  beauties 
of  nature,  I  leave  to  experienced  farmers  and  agricultural 
societies  to  calculate.  In  Italy  and  Spain  it  is  the  practice 
to  sell  water  out  of  the  canals,  for  watering  meadows  and 
other  lands.  In  such  cases,  tubes  are  put  into  the  canal, 
under  the  pressure  of  a  certain  head  of  water,  and  suffered 
to  run  a  given  time  for  a  fixed  price;  the  monies  thus 
gained  add  much  to  the  emoluments  of  the  canal  companies. 

But,  with  all  these  immense  advantages  which  canals 
give,  it  may  be  a  question  with  many  individuals,  whether 
they  can  be  constructed  in  great  leading  lines,  from  our 
coasts  and  navigable  rivers,  to  the  frontiers  of  the  several 
states,  or  pass  our  mountains,  and  penetrate  to  the  remote 
parts  of  our  interior  country.  Should  doubts  arise  on  this 

*  Animals  are  now  driven  to  market,  300  or  more  miles,  at  a  consider- 
able expense  and  loss  of  flesh,  principally  for  two  reasons,  first,  the  ex- 
pense of  transporting  the  salt  to  the  interior,  and  secondly,  the  expense 
of  carrying  the  salted  meats  to  market. 


284    ROBERT  FULTON'S  LETTER 

part  of  the  plan,  I  beg  leave  to  assure  you  that  there  is  no 
difficulty  in  carrying  canals  over  our  highest  mountains, 
and  even  where  nature  has  denied  us  water,  for  water  is 
always  to  be  found  in  the  valleys,  and  the  canal  can  be 
constructed  to  the  foot  of  the  mountain,  carrying  the  water 
to  that  situation.  Should  there  be  no  water  on  the  moun- 
tain or  its  sides,  there  will  be  wood  or  coals,  either,  or  both 
of  which  can  be  brought  cheap  to  the  works,  by  means  of 
the  canal.  Then,  with  steam  engines,  the  upper  ponds  of 
canals  can  be  filled  from  the  lower  levels,  and,  with  the 
engines,  the  boats  can,  on  inclined  planes,  be  drawn  from 
the  lower  to  the  upper  canal ;  for  this  mode  of  operating, 
it  is  necessary  to  have  small  boats  of  6  tons  each.  As  the 
steam  engines  are  to  draw  up  and  let  down  the  boats  on 
inclined  planes,  no  water  is  drawn  from  the  upper  level  of 
canal,  as  when  locks  are  used ;  consequently,  when  the 
upper  ponds  have  been  once  filled,  it  is  only  necessary  that 
the  engine  should  supply  leakage  and  evaporation.  There 
is  another  mode  of  supplying  the  leakage  and  evaporation 
of  the  higher  levels :  on  the  tops  and  sides  of  mountains 
there  are  hollows  or  ravines,  which  can  be  banked  at  the 
lower  extremity,  thus  forming  a  reservoir  to  catch  the  rain 
or  melted  snow.  From  such  reservoirs,  the  ponds  of  canals 
can  be  replenished  in  the  dry  months  of  summer.  This 
mode  of  reserving  water  is  in  practice  in  England  for 
canals,  and  in  Spain  for  irrigation.  In  this  manner,  I  will 
suppose  it  necessary  to  pass  a  mountain  800  feet  high ;  then 
four  inclined  planes,  each  of  two  hundred  feet  rise,  would 
gain  the  summit,  and  four  would  descend  on  the  other  side. 
Total,  eight  inclined  planes,  and  eight  steam  engines.  Each 
steam  engine,  of  12  horse  power,  would  cost  about  10,000 
dollars,  in  all,  80,000  dollars ;  each  would  burn  12  bushels 
of  coals  in  12  hours,  or  96  bushels  for  the  8  engines,  for 
one  day's  work. 


TO    ALBERT    GALL AT IN.  285 

The  coals  in  such  situations  may  be  \  <m  ^ 

estimated  at  12  cents  a  bushel,  or  / 
At  each  engine  and  inclined  plane,  there  \  4Q  QQ 

must  be  five  men,  total  40,  at  $1  each  J 

Total $51.52 

For  this  sum  they  would  pass  500  tons  in  one  day,  over  \          ^     . 

the  eight  inclined  planes  which  for  each  ton  is  only  J 
Suppose  the  mountain  to  be  twenty  miles  ~)  20  ctn 

wide,  boating  for  each  ton  would  cost  / 

Total..... 30  cts 

a  ton,  for  passing  over  the  mountain,  which  will  be  more 
or  less,  according  to  circumstances,  —  these  calculations 
being  only  intended  to  remove  any  doubts  which  may  arise 
on  the  practicability  of  passing  our  mountains. 

Having  thus,  in  some  degree,  considered  the  advantages 
which  canals  will  produce  in  'point  of  wealth  to  individuals, 
and  the  nation,  I  will  now  consider  their  importance  to  the 
Union,  and  their  political  consequences. 

First,  their  effect  on  raising  the  value  of  the  public  lands, 
and  thereby  augmenting  the  revenue. 

In  all  cases  where  canals  shall  pass  through  the  lands  of 
the  United  States,  and  open  a  cheap  communication  to  a 
good  market,  such  lands  will  rise  in  value  for  20  miles  on 
each  side  of  the  canal.  The  farmer  who  will  reside  20 
miles  from  the  canal  can,  in  one  day,  carry  a  load  of  pro- 
duce to  its  borders ;  and  were  the  lands  600  miles  from  one 
of  our  sea-port  towns,  his  barrel  of  flour,  in  weight  200 
pounds,  could  be  carried  that  distance  for  60  cents,  the 
price  which  is  now  paid  to  carry  a  barrel  50  miles  on  the 
Lancaster  turnpike.  Consequently,  as  relates  to  cheapness 
of  carriage,  and  easy  access  to  market,  the  new  lands, 
which  lie  600  miles  from  the  seaports,  would  be  of  equal 
value  with  lands  of  equal  fertility,  which  are  50  miles  from 
the  seaports.  But,  not  to  insist  on  their  being  of  so  great 
a  value,  until  population  is  as  great,  it  is  evident  that  they 
must  rise  in  value,  in  a  three  or  four-fold  degree ;  every 


286    ROBERT  FULTON'S  LETTER 

lineal  mile  of  canal  would  accommodate  25,600  acres ;  the 
lands  sold  by  the  United  States,  in  1806,  averaged  about 
two  dollars  an  acre,  and  certainly  every  acre  accommodated 
with  a  canal  would  produce  $6 ;  thus,  only  20  miles  of 
canal,  each  year,  running  through  national  lands,  would 
raise  the  value  of  512,000  acres  of  land,  at  least  $4  an 
acre,  giving  two  million  and  forty-three  dollars  to  the  trea- 
sury, —  a  sum  sufficient  to  make  136  miles  of  canal.  Had 
an  individual  such  a  property,  and  funds  to  construct 
canals  to  its  centre,  he  certainly  would  do  it  for  his  own 
interest.  The  nation  has  the  property.  And  the  nation 
possesses  ample  funds  for  such  undertakings. 

Second.  On  their  effect  in  cementing  the  Union,  and  ex- 
tending the  principles  of  confederated  republican  govern- 
ment, numerous  have  been  the  speculations  on  the  duration 
of  our  union,  and  intrigues  have  been  practised  to  sever 
the  western  from  the  eastern  states.  The  opinion  endea- 
vored to  be  inculcated  was,  that  the  inhabitants  behind  the 
mountains  were  cut  off  from  the  market  of  the  Atlantic 
states;  that,  consequently,  they  had  a  separate  interest, 
and  should  use  their  resources  to  open  a  communication  to 
a  market  of  their  own ;  that,  remote  from  the  seat  of 
government,  they  could  not  enjoy  their  portion  of  advan- 
tages arising  from  the  union,  and  that,  sooner  or  later, 
they  must  separate  and  govern  for  themselves. 

Others,  by  drawing  their  examples  from  European 
governments,  and  the  Monarchies  which  have  grown  out  of 
the  feudal  habits  of  nations  of  warriors,  whose  minds  were 
bent  to  the  absolute  power  of  the  few,  and  the  servile  obe- 
dience of  the  many,  have  conceived  these  states  of  too 
great  an  extent  to  continue  united  under  a  republican  form 
of  government,  and  that  the  time  is  not  distant  when  they 
will  divide  into  little  kingdoms,  retrograding  from  common 
sense  to  ignorance,  adopting  all  the  follies  and  barbarities 
which  are  every  day  practised  in  the  kingdoms  and  petty 


TO    ALBERT    GALLATIN.  287 

states  of  Europe.  But  those  who  have  reasoned  in  this 
way  have  not  reflected,  that  men  are  the  creatures  of  habit, 
and  that  their  habits  as  well  as  their  interests  may  be  so 
combined,  as  to  make  it  impossible  to  separate  them  with- 
out falling  back  into  a  state  of  barbarism.  Although  in 
ancient  times  some  specks  of  civilization  have  been  effaced 
by  hordes  of  uncultivated  men,  yet,  it  is  remarkable  that 
since  the  invention  of  printing,  and  general  diffusion  of 
knowledge,  no  nation  has  retrograded  in  science  or  improve- 
ments ;  nor  is  it  reasonable  to  suppose  that  the  Americans, 
who  have  as  much  if  not  more  information  in  general  than 
any  other  people,  will  ever  abandon  an  advantage  which 
they  have  once  gained.  England,  which  at  one  time  was 
seven  petty  kingdoms,  has,  by  habit,  long  been  united  into 
one.  Scotland,  by  succession,  became  united  to  England, 
and  is  now  bound  to  her  by  habit,  by  turnpike-roads, 
canals,  and  reciprocal  interests.  In  like  manner  all  the 
counties  of  England,  or  departments  of  France,  are  bound 
to  each  other ;  and  when  the  United  States  shall  be  bound 
together  by  canals,  by  cheap  and  easy  access  to  markets  in 
all  directions,  by  a  sense  of  mutual  interest  arising  from 
mutual  intercourse  and  mingled  commerce,  it  will  be  no 
more  possible  to  split  them  into  independent  and  separate 
governments,  each  lining  its  frontiers  with  fortifications  and 
troops,  to  shackle  their  own  exports  and  imports  to  and 
from  the  neighboring  states,  than  it  is  now  possible  for  the 
government  of  England  to  divide  and  form  again  into  seven 
kingdoms. 

But  it  is  necessary  to  bind  the  states  together  by  the 
people's  interest,  one  of  which  is  to  enable  every  man  to 
sell  the  produce  of  his  labor  at  the  best  market,  and  pur- 
chase at  the  cheapest.  This  accords  with  the  idea  of 
Hume,  "  that  the  government  of  a  wise  people  would  be 
little  more  than  a  system  of  civil  police ;  for  the  best  inte- 


288      LETTER    TO    ALBERT    GALLATIN. 

rest  of  man  is  industry,  and  a  free  exchange  of  the  produce 
of  his  lahor  for  the  things  which  he  may  require." 

On  this  humane  principle,  what  stronger  bonds  of  union 
can  be  invented,  than  those  which  enable  each  individual 
to  transport  the  produce  of  his  industry  1,200  miles  for  60 
cents  the  cwt.  ?  Here,  then,  is  a  certain  method  of  secur- 
ing the  union  of  the  states,  and  of  rendering  it  as  lasting 
as  the  continent  we  inhabit. 

It  is  now  eleven  years  that  I  have  had  this  plan  in  con- 
templation for  the  good  of  our  country.  At  the  conclusion 
of  my  work  on  small  canals,  there  is  a  letter  to  Thomas 
Mifflin,  then  Governor  of  the  State  of  Pennsylvania,  on  a 
system  of  canals  for  America.  In  it  I  contemplated  the 
time  when  "  canals  should  pass  through  every  vale,  wind 
around  each  hill,  and  bind  the  whole  country  together  in 
the  bonds  of  social  intercourse,"  and  I  am  happy  to  find 
that,  through  the  good  management  of  a  wise  administra- 
tion, a  period  has  arrived  when  an  overflowing  treasury  ex- 
hibits abundant  resources,  and  points  the  mind  to  works  of 
such  immense  importance.  Hoping  speedily  to  see  them 
become  favorite  objects  with  the  whole  American  people, 
I  have  the  honour  to  be 
Your  most  obedient  servant, 

ROBERT  FULTON. 
To  Albert  Gallatin,  Esq.,  Sec.  U.  S.  Treasury. 


ROBERT  FULTON'S  LETTER  TO  GOUVERNEUR  MORRIS, 
DATED  1814. 

To  Gouverneur  Morris,  Esq.,  President  of  the  Board 
of  Commissioners  of  the  Western  Canal. 

NEW  YORK,  February  22d,  1814. 

"Sin: — Numerous  engagements  have  hitherto  prevented 
my  paying  that  attention  to  the  report  of  the  Commis- 
sioners, which  the  importance  of  the  subject  merits;  but 
that  you  may  have  evidence  of  my  desire  to  give  all  the  aid 
in  my  power  to  an  enterprise  so  sublime  (for  I  deem  that  a 
sublime  national  work,  which  will  secure  wealth  and  happi- 
ness to  millions),  I  have  committed  to  writing,  some  obser- 
vations, which,  should  you  consider  them  of  any  utility, 
you  will  make  use  of,  as  you  think  proper. 

In  the  report  of  March,  1812,  page  9,  the  Commissioners 
gave  calculations  on  the  expense  of  conveyance  by  canals, 
which  calculations  were  drawn  from  the  experience  acquired 
on  canals  in  England,  as  to  the  quantity  of  work  that  two 
horses  and  three  men  could  do  in  eight  hours ;  to  which, 
adding  the  wear  and  tear  of  the  boat  and  canal,  the  decay 
of  horses,  and  interest  on  the  capital  expended  in  pur- 
chasing horses  and  boats, —  also  the  profit  on  the  boat,  and 
the  wages,  which  are  higher  in  this  country  than  in  England, 
it  is  shown  that  the  total  expense  amounts  to  no  more  than 
one  cent  per  ton  per  mile.  As  I  passed  three  years  at 
various  canals  in  England,  to  obtain  practical  knowledge 
on  the  manner  of  constructing  them,  and  to  make  myself 
familiar  with  their  advantages,  and  was  well  acquainted 
with  some  of  the  best  engineers,  I  know  this  calculation  to 
be  correct.  Hence,  one  cent  per  ton  per  mile  is  one  dollar 
25  T  (289) 


290    ROBERT  FULTON'S  LETTER 

a  ton  for  a  hundred  miles,  while  the  usual  cost  of  wagoning 
is  one  dollar  and  sixty  cents  per  cwt.  for  100  miles,  or 
thirty-two  dollars  a  ton.  It  consequently  follows,  that  on 
a  canal,  a  ton  weight  could  be  boated  3200  miles  for  the 
sum  now  paid  to  wagon  it  100  miles ;  and  the  persons  at 
3200  miles  from  a  good  seaport  would  have  all  the  advan- 
tages of  trade,  or  of  bringing  their  produce  to  market, 
which  those  who  reside  only  100  miles  from  market  now 
enjoy,  provided  the  canal  were  toll  free. 

Therefore,  as  cheapness  of  transport,  united  to  safety 
and  certainty,  are  the  great  objects  of  all  public  improve- 
ments, in  canals,  railways,  and  roads,  the  one  cent  per  ton 
per  mile  is  the  most  powerful  argument  in  favor  of  canals, 
and  must  ever  be  present  in  the  mind  of  the  political  econo- 
mist, in  all  his  reflections  and  reasonings  on  the  advantages 
of  such  works.  From  this  one  cent  per  ton  per  mile,  I  will 
draw  some  interesting  calculations  on  the  present  price  of 
freight  in  sloops  on  Hudson's  river,  between  New  York  and 
Albany,  and  show  that  it  could  be  done  much  cheaper  by 
a  canal :  the  proof  of  them  will  be  conclusive,  that  if  a 
canal  can  give  advantages  superior  to  sloop  navigation  on 
Hudson's  river,  which  is  one  of  the  most  rectilinear  and 
best  in  the  world,  the  benefits  to  be  derived  from  the  one 
contemplated  must  be  vastly  superior  to  every  kind  of 
road,  river,  or  lake  communication,  from  Lake  Erie  to 
Hudson's  river. 

The  usual  price  of  freight  from  Albany  to  New  York  is, 

For  a  barrel  of  flour,  from 2s.  to  2s.  6d. 

do.          do.   pot-ashes 3 

do.          do.   pork 3 

To  avoid  errors,  I  will  state  the  average  charge  at  2s.  6d. 
•the  barrel,  and  allow  ten  barrels  to  one  ton  weight.*  Thus, 

*  Potash  and  beef  barrels  weigh  more  than  flour ;  but  cotton-bags  and 
bales  of  dry  goods  weigh  less :  for  equal  bulk,  the  flour-barrel  is  a  fair 
average. 


TO    GOUVERNEUR    MORRIS.  291 

a  canal  boat  of  fifty  tons  would  carry  five  hundred  barrels, 
which,  at  ten  dollars  a  day  in  expense,  and  twenty  miles  in 
speed,  would  arrive  from  Albany  in  eight  days,  for  eighty 
dollars,  and,  as  stated  in  the  report  referred  to,  would 
amount  to  one  cent  per  ton  per  mile,  or  one  hundred  and 
sixty  cents  for  ten  barrels,  from  Albany  to  New  York, 
equal  sixteen  cents  a  barrel,  instead  of  thirty,  paid  to 
sloops,  thereby  producing  a  saving  of  fourteen  cents  a 
barrel,  or  one  hundred  and  forty  cents  a  ton. 

It  is  now  to  be  seen  what  this  economy  would  amount  to 
on  the  whole  number  of  tons  carried  on  Hudson's  river,  in 
one  season.  From  the  returns  of  the  Custom-House,  I  find 
that  four  hundred  sloops,  or  vessels  of  every  description  are 
employed,  averaging  sixty  tons  burden ;  those  that  trade  to 
Albany  make  eleven  trips  up,  and  eleven  trips  down,  in  a 
season ;  those  that  trade  to  Newburgh,  Poughkeepsie,  and 
other  landings,  make  more  voyages ;  and  hence,  the  whole 
may  be  averaged  as  equal  to  twenty-one  trips  between  New 
York  and  Albany.  Each  sixty  tons  a  trip,  would  amount 
to  one  thousand  two  hundred  and  sixty  tons  a  year,  and 
the  four  hundred  vessels  would  carry  five  hundred  and  four 
thousand  tons  of  every  kind  of  material.  But  as  they 
return  from  New  York  not  more  than  half  loaded,  I  will 
estimate  the  average  trips  at  forty-five  tons,  or  a  total 
freight  of  thirty-nine  thousand  three  hundred  tons ;  on 
which,  the  economy  of  one  hundred  and  forty  cents  a  ton 
gives  five  hundred  and  fifty  thousand  two  hundred  dollars 
in  favor  of  the  canal, — which  is  interest,  at  ten  per  cent., 
for  five  millions  five  hundred  and  two  thousand  dollars, 
equal  thirty-four  thousand  three  hundred  and  twenty-seven 
dollars  a  mile  for  constructing  the  canal, — a  sum  more  than 
sufficient  for  that  purpose. 

If  it  be  admitted  that  the  four  hundred  sloops  cost,  on 
an  average,  each  three  thousand  dollars,  their  capital  is 
one  million  two  hundred  thousand  dollars,  on  which  the 


292         ROBERT  FULTON'S  LETTER 

wear  and  tear,  at  fifteen  per  cent,  is  one  hundred  and  eighty 
thousand  dollars  a  year. 

Admitting  the  captain's  wages  to  \ 

>•  ..............  . 

J 


,  .  .       , 

be,  superior  captains  having  more 

Pilot  ...................................................................  300  00 

Boy  ....................................................................  200  00 

Wear  on  the  sloop,  at  fifteen  per  cent  ........................  450  00 

Total  ..............................................................  $1350  00 

for  the  maintenance  of  three  persons  and  their  families, 
also  interest  on  the  capital,  and  the  wear  of  the  sloop. 

But  if  the  present  population  gives  this  important  trade 
to  160  miles  of  sloop  navigation,  may  we  not  look  forward 
with  perfect  confidence  to  that  of  the  next  twenty  years, 
for  producing  a  trade,  which,  if  required,  will  pay  ample 
interest  on  the  capital  to  be  expended  in  executing  the 
canal. 

Had  it  pleased  the  Author  of  the  Universe  to  have 
drawn  Hudson's  river  from  Lake  Erie,  a  calm  and  gentle 
stream  of  10  feet  water,  the  reflecting  mind  would  contem- 
plate with  gratitude  the  Divine  munificence  ;  and  he  who 
feels  that  a  hundred  and  sixty  miles  of  navigation  on  Hud- 
son's river  is  a  blessing  to  this  state,  would  compare  the 
successive  range  of  extended  benefits,  and  draw  exact  esti- 
mates of  national  wealth  from  160  miles  of  easy  communi- 
cation to  the  western  extremity  of  Lake  Superior. 

For,  if  Hudson's  river,  collecting  freight  from  its  sur- 
rounding country,  and  an  interior  not  more  distant  than 
Cayuga  or  Ontario,  now  bears  on  its  waters  near  400,000 
tons  per  annum,  where  shall  the  mind  be  arrested  ?  on  what 
number  of  tons  shall  it  dwell,  when  coming  from  the  popu- 
lation of  the  next  20  years,  and  the  countries  which  sur- 
round Lake  Superior,  Michigan,  Huron,  and  a  canal  of 
300  miles  through  a  fertile  country  ?  Compared  with  the 
trade  now  on  the  Hudson's  river,  it  cannot  be  less  than  a 
million  of  tons  each  year  ;  and  for  the  following  reasons  : 


TO    GOUVERNEUR    MORRIS.  293 

where  the  canal  unites  to  the  Hudson's  river,  the  man  who 
lives  10  miles  from  the  river,  and  10  from  the  canal,  will, 
when  he  has  his  produce  in  a  wagon,  go  directly  to  the 
river ;  hut  he  who  lives  30  miles  from  the  river,  and  5  from 
the  canal,  will  carry  it  to  the  canal ;  and  he  who  lives  50 
miles  from  the  river  will  go  30  to  the  canal ;  he  who  lives 
300  miles  from  the  river  will  wagon  his  produce  100  miles 
to  the  canal ;  thus  the  canal  would  draw  in  the  trade  of  a 
country  forming  a  triangle,  with  a  base  line  200  miles 
long,  and  from  thence  to  the  apex,  300  miles,  equal  a  range 
of  country  300  miles  long,  100  miles  wide,  or  30,000 
square  miles,  equal  acres,  19,200,000 

Lake  Erie  will  draw  in  the  trade  for  100  miles 
round  its  margin ;  Huron  and  Michigan  from  a 
long  distance ;  Lake  Superior  from  150  miles ; 
all  of  which  may  he  estimated  at  30,000,000 

Total,  Acres,        49,000,000 

a  quantity,  if  I  recollect  right,  not  far  short  of  the  whole 
of  England.  (Arthur  Young  states  England,  Ireland,  and 
Scotland  to  contain  90  millions  of  acres.) 

The  population  of  England  is  about  one  soul  to  6  acres, 
and  there  can  be  no  doubt  that  the  time  will  come,  when 
the  population  in  the  countries  here  indicated  will  be  one 
to  10  acres,  or  4,920,000  persons,  a  number  equal  to  half 
the  population  of  England,  whose  industry  and  necessities 
must  cause  more  than  one  million  of  tons  to  move  through 
the  canal  in  a  season ;  which  million  of  tons,  carried  at  so 
low  a  rate  as  to  enable  everything  useful  to  come  to  mar- 
ket, would  produce  abundant  interest  on  the  capital  ex- 
pended :  for,  at  one  cent  a  ton  per  mile  in  expenses,  the 
transport  on  300  miles  of  canal  would 

Cost $3  00 

And  from  Albany  to  New  York 2  50 

Total $5  50 

25* 


294    ROBERT  FULTON'S  LETTER 

or  55  cents  a  barrel.  If,  then,  50  cents  for  toll  were 
charged  on  each  barrel,  or  25  cents  a  hundred  on  merchan- 
dise and  other  materials,  for  passing  through  the  canal, 
still  the  barrel,  or  200  weight,  would  arrive  at  New  York 
for  one  dollar  fifty  cents,  which  50  cents  toll,  or  5  dollars 
a  ton,  would,  on  one  million  of  tons,  give  5  millions  of 
dollars  a  year,  or  50  per  cent,  for  10  millions  to  make  the 
canal.  Admitting  that  from  Lake  Superior  to  the  com- 
mencement of  the  canal  at  Lake  Erie,  the  expense  should 
be  one  dollar  a  barrel,  it  would  arrive  at  New  York,  from 
that  distant  region,  1600  miles,  for  two  dollars,  the  price 
which  it  now  costs  to  wagon  a  barrel  of  flour  about  130 
miles,  at  which  distance,  the  expense  of  coming  to  market 
checks  agriculture,  and  the  improvement  of  the  country. 
Therefore,  this  canal  and  passage  through  Lake  Erie  into 
Lake  Superior  will  ever  be  cheaper  than  transport  on  our 
much  admired  river  Mississippi,  even  when  she  shall  have 
the  advantage  of  steamboats.  For  from  Louisville  to  New 
Orleans,  a  distance  of  1545  miles,  the  freight  is  one  dollar 
50  cents  a  barrel,  but  to  come  up  from  New  Orleans  to 
Louisville,  it  is  four  and  a  half  dollars  a  hundred  weight, 
or  9  dollars  a  barrel. 

Hence,  this  great  work  would,  as  a  lucrative  speculation 
for  a  company  of  subscribers,  be  superior  to  any  banking 
association,  or  incorporated  body  now  known,  and  in  every 
point  of  view  is  worthy  of  this  great  state :  by  drawing 
forth  its  resources  and  those  of  other  states  into  and 
through  this  state, —  as  a  source  of  abundant  revenue,  ob- 
tained by  the  economy  of  labor,  and  consequently  a  clear 
gain  to  the  state, — as  a  means  of  strength,  by  consolidating 
population, —  as  an  immense  object  of  real  glory, —  a  vast 
and  noble  example  to  our  sister  states.  Such  are  the  con- 
quests worthy  of  a  great  and  enlightened  people — conquests 
as  lasting  as  the  waters  that  nourish  them,  and  of  which 
we  could  never  be  deprived. 


TO    GOUVERNEUR    MORRIS.  295 

All  that  is  honorable  of  the  fame  of  Louis  the  14th  is 
the  canal  of  Languedoc,  and  his  public  highways.  His 
military  conquests  were  lost  before  he  died  ;  his  canal  and 
roads  alone  remain  blessings  to  France. 

Not  more  than  40  years  ago,  the  Duke  of  Bridgewater, 
regardless  of  public  prejudice,  constructed  the  first  canal  in 
England,  in  length  about  30  miles ;  it  gave  him  immor- 
tality and  $130,000  a  year.  His  success  and  good  ex- 
ample have  been  the  cause  of  many  hundred  miles  being 
since  executed  in  various  parts  of  the  kingdom,  on  which 
the  easy  conveyance  of  the  ponderous  articles  of  agri- 
culture, manufactures,  and  commerce,  has  greatly  pro- 
moted the  improvements  of  that  country,  and  added  to  her 
wealth  and  power. 

It  is  a  curious  fact,  that  his  canal  runs  nearly  parallel  to 
the  river  Mersey,  the  former  channel  of  communication 
from  Manchester  to  Liverpool ;  it  was,  therefore,  thought 
absurd  to  contend  that  a  canal  should  rival  river  naviga- 
tion ;  as  some  persons  now  believe  it  visionary  to  cut  a 
canal  anywhere  bordering  on  our  lakes.  The  river  was  an 
imperfect  navigation,  embarrassed  by  uncertainty  and  risk  ; 
the  canal  was  without  risk,  and  certain  to  deliver  the  goods 
at  a  given  place  in  the  appointed  time ;  it  therefore  drew 
the  trade  from  the  river,  and  left  it  a  deserted  stream.  In 
fact,  that  a  communication  may  be  perfect,  the  trade  must 
pass  with  equal  ease  each  way ;  it  must  not  be  subject  to 
the  impediments  of  calms  or  contrary  winds  on  the  lakes ; 
or  what  is  worse,  to  freshets,  floods,  or  shoals,  which  are 
common  to  fresh  water  rivers. 

But  seeing  our  vast  lakies  and  rivers,  there  is  nothing 
more  natural,  than  to  associate  the  idea  of  navigation  with 
them,  and  lead  the  mind  on  through  locks  to  Ontario,  and 
along  the  St.  Lawrence  to  Quebec.  The  best  of  all  prac- 
tice, however,  the  practice  of  English  and  Dutch  canals, 
has  proved  how  vastly  inferior  such  communications  are  to 


296    ROBERT  FULTON'S  LETTER 

the  one  contemplated ;  and  the  calculations  which  I  here 
submit,  will,  I  hope,  make  it  clear  to  every  unbiassed  mind. 
But  were  the  conveyance  by  the  lakes  and  St.  Lawrence 
more  perfect  than  it  ever  can  be,  and  Canada  ours,  it  could 
never  be  good  policy  in  New  York,  to  let  so  immense  a 
trade  go  by  that  course,  to  the  infinite  injury  of  this  state. 
I  have  shown,  and  I  hope  clearly,  that  were  the  intended 
canal  to  cost  ten  millions  of  dollars,  it  would  in  a  few 
years,  produce  five  millions.  Then  it  would  pay  its  capital 
in  less  than  four  years,  and  give  a  revenue  to  this  state 
without  a  tax  of  from  3  to  5  millions  a  year;  with  which 
income  this  state  might  proceed  with  other  and  greater  im- 
provements to  its  own  glory,  and  incalculable  benefit.  A 
canal  is  in  reality  like  a  great  labor-saving  machine  in  the 
possession  of  a  prudent  and  skilful  manufacturer ;  the 
economy  and  profits  of  which  are  applied  to  extending  his 
works  and  increasing  his  capital.  Here  the  state  is  pro- 
prietor, and  possesses  the  capital  to  execute  a  work,  which 
1  do  not  hesitate  to  say  would  be  an  inexhaustible  mine 
of  wealth,  that  in  a  few  years  would  give  to  this  state  the 
most  refined  order  of  public  improvement.  For  if  my  cal- 
culations be  correct,  and  I  challenge  any  one  to  confute 
them  on  principles  of  increasing  population  and  industry, 
the  canal  yielding  5  millions  a  year,  would,  in  twenty 
years,  give  one  hundred  millions,  to  be  expended  in  other 
canals,  bridges,  roads,  and  improvements.  What  could  be 
done  with  100  millions  of  dollars  ?  All  reflecting  men  can 
conceive  and  calculate. 

By  this  statement  you  will  perceive,  that  I  am  not  for  a 
canal  free  of  toll.  My  reason  is,  that  the  whole  inhabi- 
tants of  the  state  being  responsible  for  the  necessary  funds 
to  construct  it,  or  the  interest  thereon,  they  who  benefit  by 
the  canal  should  pay  such  toll  as  will  return  the  interest ; 
and  not  only  so,  but  they  should  pay  at  least  as  much  toll 
as  I  have  stated,  which  still  leaves  them  an  immense  ad- 


TO    GOUVERNEUR    MORRIS.  297 

vantage  in  coming  to  market,  yet  produces  an  ample  fund 
for  other  improvements.  It  is  therefore,  I  think,  evident, 
that  if  a  reasonable  toll  can  produce  an  annual  income, 
which  in  time  will  improve  the  whole  state,  it  is  th  3  interest 
of  the  whole  state  that  the  canal  should  be  made  and  the 
toll  laid. 

My  estimate  of  one  million  of  tons  a  year  is,  for  9 
months,  equal  3703  tons  a  day,  or  74  boats  a  day.     To 
pass  the  locks  at  12  minutes  for  each  boat  will  require 
from  14  to  15  hours,  or  a  double  range  of  locks.     On  this 
subject  and  the  manner   of  executing  the  canal,  I  will 
perhaps,  at  a  future  day,  trouble  you  with  another  letter. 
I  am,  Sir, 
Respectfully, 
Your  most  obedient, 

ROBERT  FULTON. 


THE    END. 


UNIVERSITY  OF  CALIFORNIA  LIBRARY 
BERKELEY 

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JUL  1 1 1961 
REC'D  LC 

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MAR  15  1966 
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